industrial safety survey

Transcription

INTERNATIONAL
LABOUR
OFFICE
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY
SURVEY
VOLUME XX
31526
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INDEX
to the "Industrial Safety Survey", Vol. XX (1944)
Abbreviations: A = Article; B = Book Review; 0 = Official Report; P = Review (of a periodical);
R = Law, Regulation or Safety Code; S = Safety Institution, Association or Museum.
I. Subject Index
1.
INDUSTRIES AND PROCESSES
General
Germany: Decree respecting Safety Engineers in Industrial Undertakings. 1. 16 (R).
United States of America: Research on Sub-Audible
Noises of Rock in Mines and Their Use for the
Prediction of Rock Bursts. 1. 28 ( 0 ) .
La Seguridad Industrial en la Argentina. 1. 34 (P).
Leistung und Sicherheit im Bergbau. By Dr. Rudolf
Meyer. 1. 34 (P).
Plastics Fight for Safety. 1. 35 (P).
Industrial Injuries: The Personal and Mechanical
Factors Causing Them. 1. 36 (P).
Records—The "Seeing E y e " of Industrial Medicine.
By William J. Fulton, M.D. 1. 36 (P).
Die Zukunft des Unfallschutzes liegt in der Spezialisierung. 1. 36 (P).
Six Tested Ways to Safety. By John B. Dunne.
1. 37 (P).
Safety on the Work Front. By W. L. Lovett. 1. 37
(P). \
La Seguridad y el Administrador. La Importancia de
su Ayuda y Como Lograrla. 1. 37 (P).
1021 Answers to Industrial Health and Safety Problems. Edited by Jack E. Weiss. 1. 38 (B).
T h e Principles and Practice of Industrial Medicine.
Edited by Fred J. Wampler, M.D. 1. 39 (B).
Weight Lifting. By R. E. Tugman. 2. 74 (P).
Organizing Construction Safety from Coast to Coast.
By C. W. Kinnison. 2. 75 (P).
Making Money Through Safety. 2. 75 (P).
Safety in Floor Loading. By Charles W. Barber.
2. 76 (P).
Safety Calls for Color. By M a t t Denning. 2. 76 (P).
When the Heat's On. 2. 76 (P).
Models for Safety Instruction. 2. 76 (P).
Weight Lifting by Industrial Workers. 2. 77 (B).
Accidents due to Misuse of Explosives. 2. 78 (B).
Manual for Instructors of Advanced Courses in Industrial Accident Prevention. 2. 79 (B).
Applied Safety Engineering. By H. H. Berman and
H. W. McCrone. 2. 79 (B).
Brazil: Order No. 47 respecting Uniform Standards
for the Classification of Industrial Accidents, and
Occupational Diseases. 3. 97 (R).
Our Unfinished Job. By H. W. Anderson. 3. 107 (P).
Accident Prevention Pays Dividends to Employers.
3. 107 (P).
Analyzing the Accident Records and Using the Results for Manufacturing Industries. By George
F . Nuernberger. 3. 112 (P).
Analysis of 1009 Consecutive Accident Cases at One
Ordnance Depot. By James Mann. 3. 113 (P).
"Rehabilitation" and the Safety Engineer. By C. P.
Anderson. 3. 113 (P).
L a Seguridad Industrial. By Isidro Rius Sintes.
3. 115. (B).
Australia (New South Wales): Lacquering Regulations, Gazetted 30 June 1944. 4. 138 (R).
Canada (Quebec) : Amendments to the Quebec Public
Health Aot 1941. Dated 12 February 1944- 4. 139
(R),
The Relation of Vision Testing to Safety in Industry.
By Joseph Lo-Presti, M.D. 4. 153 (P).
New Swedish Method for Treating Phosphor Burns.
4. 155 (P).
Okhrana truda—vazhnii uchastok profraboti. By E.
Sidorenko. 4. 155 (P).
A Laboratory for Small Plant Safety. By E. C.
Woodward. 4. 156 (P).
Foremanship and Accident Prevention in Industry.
4. 159 (B).
Agriculture and Forestry
United States of America: Accidents in 1942. 1. 2S
(O).
Switzerland: The Advisory Office for Accident Prc• vention in 1942. 2. 56 (S).
Canada (Saskatchewan) : Regulations for the Prevention of Accidents in Grain Elevators.
20
January 1944. 2. 60 (R).
Switzerland: The Advisory Office for Accident Prevention in 1943. 3. 95 (S).
Aircraft
Industry
Great Britain: Factories (Testing of Aircraft Engines,
Carburettors and Other Accessories) Order, 1944.
Dated 25 April 1944. 3. 98 (R).
Effect of Aluminium and Alumina on the Lung in
Grinders of Duralumin Aeroplane Propellers. By
Donald Hunter, R. Milton, Kenneth M. A. Perry,
and D . R. Thompson. 4. 155 (P).
B u i l d i n g a n d Civil E n g i n e e r i n g
France: Order concerning Safety Organisation in the
Building and Civil Engineering Industries. 1 July
1943. 1. 13 (R).
France: Decree respecting Roof Work. 10 August
1943. 1. 15 (R).
United States of America (Oregon): Safety Code for
Construction Work. Effective 1 December 1942.
1.17 (R).
A Matter of Proper Construction. By Captain Robert
F . Alexander. 2. 74 (P).
National Fire Codes for Building Construction and
Equipment. 3. 117 (B).
Canada (Alberta) : Regulations governing the Erection,
Operation and Public Safety of Entertainment
Halls, Places of Amusement, Theatres, Motion
Picture Theatres and Motion Picture Equipment,
etc. Dated 19 July 1944. 4. 138 (R).
United States of America (District of Columbia):
Safety Standards—Construction.
Effective 20
July 1944. 4. 141 (R).
Cinematographs
Canada (Alberta): Regulations governing the Erection,
Operation and Public Safety of Entertainment
Halls, Places of Amusement, Theatres, Motion
Picture Theatres and Motion Picture Equipment,
etc. Dated 19 July 1944. 4. 138 (R).
Canada (Ontario): Regulations under the Theatres'
and Cinematographs Act. Dated 11 July 1944.
4. 139 (R).
INDEX
Electrical Industry
Switzerland: Electrical Accidents, 1942. 1. 26 ( 0 ) .
Grounding Electrical Equipment in and about Coal
Mines. 1. 38 (B).
Canada (Saskatchewan): Regulations under the
Electrical Inspection and Licensing Act.
10
December 1943. 2. 60 (R).
Canada (Saskatchewan): Electrical Regulations.
Dated 24 March 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Mining Accidents. Special Methods of First-Aid
Treatment. By Dr. S. Bridge Davis. 4. 153 (P).
Precautions to be Taken when Approaching Old
Mine Workings. 4. 157 (B).
Blasting Hazards in Strip Mines Adjacent to Underground Workings. 4. 158 (B).
Midget Microprojector for Dust Determinations.
4. 158 (B).
Hazards from Common Gases and Vapors Encountered at Surface Disasters. 4. 159 (B).
Metal P r o d u c t i o n a n d Working
Argentina: Decree (No. 7134) respecting Prevention
of Accidents in Welding. 1 September 1943. 1. 13
(R).
Health and Safety in Mineral Exploitation: Problems
of Silicosis and Explosives.
By Dr. William
Cullen. 1. 34 (P).
Canada (Saskatchewan): Mines Regulations.
20
January 1944. 2. 60 (R).
Australia: Report on Dust Hazards in Foundries.
2. 62 (O).
Accidents in Foundry Occupations as Analyzed bv
Cause. 2. 75 (P).
Lighting for Horizontal Spindle Machines. By A. W.
Larson.—Lighting for Vertical Spindle Machines.
By E . E . Elliott.—Lighting for Sheet-Metal
Fabrication. By E . R. D'Olive.—Lighting for
Milling Machines, Shapers and Planers. By R. E.
Lagerstrom.—Lighting for Welding. By R. R.
Lusk. 2. 76 (P).
Effective Controls of Hazards in Welding, Flame
Cutting and Metallizing. By Arthur C. Stern.
3. 110 (P).
La Intoxicaciön por Manganeso en Chile. By Drs.
Jos6 Ansola, Enrique Uiberall and Eduardo Escudero. 3. 112 (P).
The Australian Foundry: Working Conditions and
How to Improve Them. 3. 115 (B).
Donald Hunter, R. Milton, Kenneth M. A. Pcrrv,
and D . R. Thompson. 4. 155 (P).
Mines
GENERAL
United States of America: Research on Sub-Audible
Noises of Rock in Mines and Their Use for the
Prediction of Rock Bursts. 1. 28 (O).
Meyer. 1. 34 (P).
By Dr. William
Cullen. 1. 34 (P).
20
January 1944. 2. 60 (R).
United States of America: Metal and Non-Metal
Mine Accidents, 1941. 2. 71 (O).
Safety Measures on the Mines. 2. 75 (P).
Mine-Fan Signal Alarms and Power Releases. 2. 77
(B).
Fires in Surface Mining and Milling Structures.
2. 77 (B).
Belgium: National Institute of Mines, Report for
1942. 3. 93 (S).
United States of America: Federal Inspection of
Mines in 1943. 3. 102 (O).
Possible Hazards Attending the Use of Engines Operated on Butane Fuel in Mining and Tunnelling.
3. 116 (B).
Defects Frequently Found in Supports at Faces.
3. 116 (B).
Roadhead Supports. 3. 110 (B).
India: Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of
Mines for the Year 1941. 4. 150 (O).
Union of South Africa: Report of the Miners' Phthisig
Medical Bureau, 1939-1941. 4. 151 (0),
COAL
MINES
General
Great Britain: Annual Report of the Safety in Mines
Research Board, 1942. 1. 21 (O).
United States of America: Coal-Mine Accidents in
1941. 2. 70 ( 0 ) .
Anthracite Mine Fires: Their Behavior and Control.
2. 77 (B).
United States of America: United States Bureau of
Mines. Annual Report of Research and Technological Work on Coal. Fiscal Year 1943. 3. 105
(O).
Current Mining Problems. By H. J. Humphrys,
D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C. 3. 108 (P).
Great Britain: Accidents in Mines, 1938-1943. 4. 143
(O).
Das Auftreten von Grubengas und seine Bekämpfung. By Bergassessor Dr.-Ing. Richard Forstmann and Dipl.-Ing. Paul Schulz. 4. 153 (P).
Testing Safety Catches on Mine Cages at Some
Eastern Bituminous Coal Mines. 4. 157 (B).
DuM and Gas
Research Board, 1942. 1. 21 (O).
By Dr. William
Cullen. 1. 34 (P).
Great Britain: The Coal Mines (South Wales) (Pneumoconiosis) Order, 1943. 2. 60 (R).
A Review of Present Methods for Dust Control and
Possible Future Requirements.
By J. Ivon
Graham. 3. 108 (P).
The Formation of Dust Clouds. By N. M. Potter,
M . S c , P h . D . 3. 109 (P).
Das Auftreten von Grubengas und seine Bekämpfung. By Bergassessor Dr.-Ing. Richard Forstmann and Dipl.-Ing. Paul Schulz. 4. 153 (P).
Education and Training
Great Britain: Regulation respecting Training and
Supervision in Coal Mines. 2. 60 (R).
Great Britain: The Coal Mining (Training and Medical Examination) Order, 1944. Effective 1 February 1944. 2. 61 (R).
Electricity
Mines. 1. 38 (B).
Electrical Safety Offers Benefits through Reducing
Injuries. By Paul M. Barlow. 2. 75 (P).
United States of America: Mine Explosions and Fires.
1942-1943. 3. 103 (O).
Explosives and Sliotfiring
Research Board, 1942. 1. 21 ( 0 ) .
Bv Dr. William
Culle'n. 1. 34 (P).
Use and Misuse of Flame Safety Lamps. 2. 77 (B).
United States of America: Mine Explosions ami
Fires, 1942-1943. 3. 103 ( 0 ) .
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY SURVEY
Kires and Firefighting
Organisation and Conduct of Fire-Fighting in Mines.
By W. Riley. 1. 34 (P).
2. 77 (B).
United States of America: Mine Explosions and Fires,
1942-1943. 3. 103 ( 0 ) .
Haulage and
Winding
Diagnosis and Prevention of Failures in Colliery
Wire Ropes. By A. E. McClelland. 1. 34 (P).
Roof Control Supports
Complete Roof Control at the Coal Face: Use of
Rail-Head Adjustable Props. By W m . A . Machin.
1. 34 (P).
A Study of Summer Air Conditioning with Water
Sprays to Prevent Roof Falls at the Beech Bottom
Coal Mine, West Virginia, 4. 157 (B).
METAL
Synthetic Rubber Manufacture.
3. 110 (P).
By Glen D . Cross.
Shipbuilding
United States of America: Minimum Requirements
for Safety and Industrial Health in Contract Shipyards. 1. 17 (R).
Down the Ways with Safety. By H. W. Fuson. 1. 34
(P).
Work Accidents in the United States Shipyards, 1943.
By Max D. Kossoris, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C. 2. 41 (A).
Causes of Crane Accidents in Shipyards. 2. 75 (P).
Chemical Poisoning in Shipyards. 2. 76 (P).
United States of America: Causes and Prevention of
Injuries from Falls in Shipyards. 3. 101 (O).
United States of America: Eve Injuries in Shipyards.
3. 101 (O).
Great Britain: Annual Report of the Chief Inspector
of Factories, 1943. 4. 144 (O).
MINES
Brazil: Health and Safety Conditions in Gold Mines.
1. 18 ( 0 ) .
Canada (Saskatchewan): Mines Regulations. 20
January 1944. 2. 60 (R).
Peru: Supreme Resolution No. 358 concerning Health
Requirements in Lead Mines. 31 August 1943.
2. 61 (R).
Stemming in Metal Mines. 2. 78 (B).
United States of America: Employment and Accidents at Gold, Silver and Miscellaneous Metal
Mines in 1942. 3. 104 ( 0 ) .
United States of America: Accidents in Various
Metal Mines, 1942. 3. 104 (O).
Paint M a n u f a c t u r e
Wartime Accident Prevention in the Paint and Varnish Industry. By Arthur W. Stevdel. 3. 110
(P).
P a t e n t Fuel I n d u s t r y
Great Britain: The Patent Fuel Manufacture (Health
and Welfare) Order, 1944. Dated 27 April 1944.
3. 98 (R).
Petroleum
United States of America: Accidents and Employment in the Petroleum Industry of the United
States during 1942. 1. 27 (O).
United States of America: Accidents in the Petroleum
Industry, 1943. 3. 105 (O).
Great Britain: The Petroleum Spirit (Canals) Order,
1944. Dated 31 May 1944. 4. 141 (O).
Quarries
20
January 1944. 2. 60 (R).
Safety Blasting Practices in a New York Quarry.
3. 116 (B).
Finland: Act concerning Inspection of Quarries for
Certain Minerals.
Dated 4 February 1944.
4. 140 (R).
Finland: Regulations for the Enforcement of the Act
concerning Inspection of Quarries for Certain
Minerals. Dated 4 February 1944. 4. 141 (R).
United States of America: Quarry Accidents in 1942.
4. 152 (O).
Rubber Industry
Neoprene (GR-M): Safeguarding Workers Handling
' Synthetic Rubber in the Rubber Industry. 2. 78
(B).
Spray P a i n t i n g
Sweden: Instructions concerning Protection against
Occupational Risks in Spray Painting. 3 April
1943. 2. 61 (R).
Transport
Air
Transport
Accident Prevention at Airports—Ramps and Aprons.
By Walter T. Johnson, Director of Safety, American Airlines, Inc., New York. 3. 81 (A).
Docks
United States of America: Injuries and Accident
Causes in the Longshore Industry, 1942. 3. 106
(O).
Road Transport and Motor Vehicles
Argentina: Regulations respecting the Inspection and
Testing of Boilers and Locomotives. 1. 13 (R).
United States of America: Accidents in 1942. 1. 28
(O).
United States of America: Motor Carrier Fire Accidents, 1942. 3. 105 (O).
La Sécurité dans la Traction Automobile au Gazogène.
By Marcel Vertongen. 3. I l l (P).
Shipping
Great Britain: Agreement respecting the Safety and
Welfare of Workers engaged in the Scaling,
Scurfing and Cleaning of Boilers, and the Cleaning of Oil-Fuel Tanks, Bilges, etc., in Ships.
3. 98 (R).
Confined Spaces. By John M. Techton. 3. I l l (P).
Welding and C u t t i n g
Argentina: Decree (No. 7134) respecting Prevention
of Accidents in Welding. 1 September 1943. 1. 13
(R).
United States of America (New Jersey): Standards
for the Protection of Workers in Gas and Electric
Welding. 2. 61 (R).
By E. E . Elliott.—Lighting for Sheet-Metal
Fabrication. By E. R. D'Olive.—Lighting for
Milling Machines, Shapers and Planers. By R,. E.
Lusk. 2. 76 (P).
INDEX
Canada (Ontario): Regulations concerning the Control of Dust in Factories. Dated 18 August 1944.
4. 139 (R).
Canada (Quebec): Amendments to the Quebec
Public Health Act, 1941. Dated 12 February
1944. 4. 139 (R).
Australia (South Australia): Annual Report of the
Factories and Steam Boilers Department, 1943.
4. 142 (O).
India: Factory Report for the Year 1942. 4. 151 ( 0 ) .
Correcta Ventilaciön en los Talleres. By Jose C.
Prieto A. 4. 154 (P).
Lighting and the Eye. By D . B. Harmon. 4. 155
(P).
Factory Inspection in Britain. By Sir Wilfrid Garrett.
4. 155 (P).
Canada (British Columbia): Regulations respecting
the Welding of Steam-Boilers and PressureVessels. Dated 2 May 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Effective Controls of Hazards in Welding. Flame
3. 110 (P).
Woodworking
Australia (New South Wales) : Regulations for Securing the Safety of Persons Employed at Circular
Saws Used for Cutting Firewood or Timber.
1. 13 (R).
By E . E . Elliott.—Lighting for Sheet-Metal
Milling Machines, Shapers and Planers. By R. E.
Lusk. 2. 76 (P).
• C-iviys
X R - y Exposure in Manufacture and Operation of
'. ei tain Electronic Tubes. By A. F. Bush, H. T.
Castberg, M.D., and D. G. MacPherson. 3. 110
(P).
Other Industries
Palestine: Accidents in the Manufacturing Industry,
1939-1941. 2. 66 (0).
Spain: National Labour Regulations for the PrintingIndustry. Dated 23 February 1944. 3. 99 (R)".
Great Britain: National Joint Industrial Council for
the Flour Milling Industry. Twenty-fifth Annual
Report, 1943-1944. 4. 136 (S).
Argentina: Decree No. 13671/44 respecting the Classification of Mechanical Cleaning and Dressing of
Carpets as Work Dangerous to the Health.
Dated 30 May 1944. 4. 138 (R).
Canada (Alberta): Regulations governing the Erection, Operation and Public Safety of Entertainment Halls, Places of Amusement, Theatres,
Motion Picture Theatres, and Motion Picture
Equipment, etc. Dated 19 July 1944. 4. 138 (R).
Canada (Ontario): Regulations under the Theatres
and Cinematographs Act. 'Dated 11 July 1944.
4. 139 (R).
2.
FACTORY
PREMISES
Australia (New South Wales): Regulation No. 13
respecting Lighting in Factories.
Effective 1
September 1943. 1. 13 (R).
Norway: Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate,
1941. 1. 22 ( 0 ) .
Occupational Risks in Sprav Painting. 3 April
1943. 2. 61 (R).
United States of America (New Jersey): Standards
for the Protection of Workers in Gas and Electric
Welding. 2. 61 (R).
Australia (New South Wales): Factory Accidents
1942. 2. 62 ( 0 ) .
Denmark: Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate, 1942. 2. 64 (O).
1942. 2. 65 (O).
Switzerland: Report of the Federal Factory Inspectorate for 1942. 2. 67 (O).
Safety in Floor Loading. By Charles W. Barber.
2. 76 (P).
Ventilation and Heating, Lighting and Seeing. 2. 78
(B).
Present-Day Plant Fire Protection. 2. 79 (B).
British Dependencies (Dominica): Factory and Machinery Rules. Dated 16 March 1944. 3. 97 (R).
In-Plant Feeding Activity Brings Remarkable Results
at Diamond Chain Factory. 3. 113 (P).
3.
INDUSTRIAL
EQUIPMENT
General
Australia (New South Wales): Lacquering Regulations. Gazetted 30 June 1944. 4. 138 (R).
Boilers and S t e a m Plant
Canada (British Columbia) : Regulations respecting
the Welding of Steam-Boilers and PressureVessels. Dated 2 May 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Canada (Quebec) : Regulations for the Carrying out
of the Pressure Vessels Act. Dated 20 April 1944.
3. 97 (R).
Great Britain: Agreement respecting the Safety and
Welfare of Workers engaged in the Scaling,
Scurfing and Cleaning of Boilers, and the Cleaning
of Oil-Fuel Tanks, Bilges, etc., in Ships. 3. 98
La Explosion de Calderas Ocasionada por Bajo Nivel
de Agua. By Ing. Federico Argus H. 3. I l l (P).
4. 142 (O).
Memorandum on Explosion and Gassing Risks in the
Cleaning, Examination and Repair of Stills,
Tanks, etc. 4. 158 (B).
Electrical Installations
Germany: Provisional Guiding Principles for the
Installation of Electrical Equipment in Industrial
Premises and Storeplaces in which there is an
Explosion Risk from Acetylene. February 1943.
1. 15 (R).
Switzerland: Electrical Accidents, 1942. 1. 26 ( 0 ) .
Electrical Inspection and Licensing Act.
10
December 1943. 2. 60 (R).
Electrical Safety Offers Benefits through Reducing
Injuries. By Paul M. Barlow. 2. 75 (P).
Mine-Fan Signal Alarms and Power Releases. 2. 77
(B).
Canada (Saskatchewan): Electrical Regulations.
Dated 24 March 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Apparatus for Determining Minimum Energies for
Electric-Spark Ignition of Flammable Gases and
Vapors. 3. 117 (B).
Lighting E q u i p m e n t
Australia (New South Wales): Regulation No. 13
respecting Lighting in Factories.
Effective 1
September 1943. 1. 13 (R).
By E. E. Elliott.—Lighting for Sheet-Metal
Fabrication. By E'. R. D'Olive.—Lighting for
I N D U S T R I A L SAFETY
Milling Machines, Shapers and Planers. By R. E .
Lusk. 2. 76 (P).
Prevenciön de accidentes en aparatos elevadores. By
Franco Guitart Sivilla and José Santaella Salas.
3. I l l (P).
Serious Accidents on Elevators. By Joseph P. Dooley.
3. I l l (P).
Machinery
General
By E. E . Elliott.—Lighting for Sheet-Metal
Milling Machines, Shapers and Planers. By R. E .
Lusk. 2. 76 (P).
Safety of Machine Tools and Other Plant. No. 1.
Fencing of Drilling Machine Spindles, Chucks
and Tools. 2. 78 (B).
Safety of Machine Tools and other Plant. No. 2.
Cutters of Horizontal Milling Machines, Fencing
and other Safety Precautions. 2. 78 (B).
Safety of Machine Tools and other Plant. No. 3.
Drop Hammers—Props and Catches. 2. 78 (B).
British Dependencies (Dominica): Factory and
Machinery Rules. Dated 16 March 1944. 3. 97
(R).
Sweden: Act Amending the Labour Protection Act
of June 1912. Dated 17 March 1944. 3. 99 (R).
They Can be Guarded. By Jack F. Hatton. 3. 112
(P).
of Factories, 1943. 4. 144 ( 0 ) .
Abrasive Wheels
Augenschutzvorrichtung an Schleifmaschinen. 1. 35
(P).
II Problema della Sicurezza alle Molatrici. By E .
Fagioli. 1. 35 (P).
The Safe Installation and Use of Abrasive Wheels.
3. 117 (B).
Other Machines
Australia (New South Wales): Regulations for
Securing the Safety of Persons Employed at Circular Saws Used for Cutting Firewood or Timber.
1. 13 (R)
Pressure Plant, Piping, etc.
1. 15 (R).
Unfälle durch unsachgemässe Behandlung von Handfeuerlöschern. By Dipl.-Ing. Bertram. 1. 35 (P).
Canada (British Columbia): Regulations respecting
the Welding of Steam-Boilers and Pressure-Vessels.
Dated 2 May 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Canada (Quebec); Regulations for the Carrying out
of the Pressure Vessels Act. Dated 20 April 1944.
3. 97 (R).
Fires Caused by Leaking Compressed Air Pipes.
3. 110 (P).
Explosions in Medium-Pressure Acetylene Generators. 3. 116 (B).
Denmark: Notification concerning the Equipment
and Use of Compressed Air Receivers, Hydrophores and other Containers with Air under
Pressure. Dated 2 March 1944. 4. 139 (R).
T r a n s p o r t and Lifting E q u i p m e n t
Cranes, Hoists and Lifts
United States of America: American Standard Safety
Code for Cranes, Derricks, and Hoists. Approved
by The American Standards Association, January
1943. 1. 16 (R).
SURVEY
4.
D A N G E R O U S SUBSTANCES
General
Switzerland: Order concerning Work in which it is
Prohibited to Employ Women and Young Persons. Dated 11 January 1944. 3. 99 (R).
X-Ray Exposure in Manufacture and Operation of
Certain Electronic Tubes. By A. F . Bush, H . T.
Castberg, M.D., and D . G. MacPherson. 3. 110
(P).
of Factories, 1943. 4. 144 ( 0 ) .
4. 155 (P).
Acids, C a u s t i c s , Corrosives
Hydrogen Fluoride Exposure.—Prevention in the
Operation of H. F . Alkylation Plants. By Roy
Benson. 1. 35 (P).
Limits of Inflammability and Ignition Temperatures
of Acetic Anhydride. 2. 78 (B).
C o m p r e s s e d , Liquefied a n d Dissolved G a s e s
1. 15 (R).
Hydrogen Fluoride Exposure.—Prevention in the
Operation of H. F . Alkylation Plants. By Roy
Benson. 1. 35 (P).
Noxious Gases and the Principles of Respiration Influencing their Action. By Yardell Henderson
and Howard W. Haggard. 2. 78 (B).
Carbon Tetrachloride Still a Menace. By Frank M.
Stead. 3. I l l (P).
Beryllium Oxide from Beryl—Health Hazards Incident to Extraction. By Joseph Shilen, M.D.,
A. E. Galloway, Ph.D., Joseph F . 'Mellor, Jr.,
B.C. 3. I l l (P).
Memorandum on Precautions in the Use of Nitrate
Salt Baths. 3. 115 (B).
Analytical Chemistry of Industrial Poisons, Hazards
and Solvents. By Morris B. Jacobs, P h . D .
3. 117 (B).
Tanks, etc. 4. 158 (B).
Hazards from Common Gases and Vapors Encountered at Surface Disasters. 4. 159 (B).
Dust
' Aluminium Dust as a Cause of Pneumoconiosis. By
Dr. Ludwig Teleky. 1. 7 (A).
United States of America: National Fire Codes for
the Prevention of Dust Explosions, 1943. 1. 17
(R).
Australia: Report on Dust Hazards in Foundries.
2. 62 ( 0 ) .
A Review of Present Methods for Dust Control and .
Possible Future Requirements.
By J. Ivon
Graham. 3. 108 (P).
The Formation of Dust Clouds. By N . M. Potter,
M . S c , P h . D . 3. 109 (P).
Health Hazards in Manufacture of Quartz Crystals
Used in Radio Communications. By Benjamin
Feiner and Samuel Moskowitz. 3. I l l (P).
INDEX
VII
La Intoxicaciön por Manganeso en Chile. By Drs.
José Ansola, Enrique Uiberall and Eduardo Escudero. 3. 112 (P).
Caustic Soda. Safety Practices in Handling. B y C . W .
Rippie and A. H. Copeland. 3. 112 (P).
Analytical Chemistry of Industrial Poisons, Hazards
and Solvents. By Morris B. Jacobs, Ph.D. 3. 117
(B).
Finland: Order of the Ministry of Communications
and Public Works concerning Garages and Generator Gas Vehicles in Them. 1 February 1944.
4. 140 (R).
of Factories, 1943. 4. 144 (0).
Occupational Lead Exposure and Lead Poisoning.
4. 159 (B).
Inflammability and Explosibility of Powders Used in
the Plastics Industry. 3. 116 (B).
Canada (Ontario): Regulations concerning the Control of Dust in Factories. Dated 18 August 1944.
4. 139 (R).
Correcta Ventilaciön en los Talleres. By José C.
• Prieto A. 4. 154 (P).
Donald Hunter, R. Milton, Kenneth M. A. Perry,
and D. R. Thompson. 4. 155 (P).
Midget Microprojector for Dust Determination.
4. 158 (B).
Explosive Substances (including Gases)
(R).
India (Mysore) : The Mysore Explosives Rules, 1943.
2. 61 (R).
Studies on Explosives and Explosions. 2. 78 (B).
Accidents due to Misuse of Explosives. 2. 78 (B).
La Explosion de Calderas, Ocasionada por Bajo Nivel
de Agua. By Ing. Federico Argus H. 3. I l l (P).
Explosion de Extinguidores Qufmicos. By Lieut.
Antonio Blanco Larrinaga. 3. 112 (P).
The Amazing Story of Picatinny Arsenal. By Colonel
W. E . Larned. 3. 114 (P).
Explosions in Medium-Pressure Acetylene Generators.
3. 116 (B).
Great Britain: The Government Explosives (Canals)
Order, 1944. Dated 31 May 1944. 4. 141 (R).
Tanks, etc. 4. 158 (B).
5.
The Universities and Safety Instruction. A Report
on Certain Educational Activities in the United
States and Canada. By R. B. Morley. 1. 1 (A).
1. 15 (R).
(R).
Organisation and Conduct of Fire-Fighting in Mines.
' By W. Riley. 1. 34 (P).
Down the Ways with Safety. By H. W. Fuson. 1. 34
(P).
Unfälle durch unsachgemässe Behandlung von Handfeuerlöschern. By Dipl.-Ing. Bertram. 1. 35 (P).
2. 77 (B).
Fires in Surface Mining and Milling Structures. 2. 77
(B).
Synthetic Rubber in the Rubber Industry. 2. 78
(B).
Training Manual for Auxiliary Fireman. 2. 78 (B).
Present-Day Plant Fire Protection. 2. 79 (B).
Carburettors and Other Accessories) Order, 1944.
Dated 25 April 1944. 3. 98 (R).
United States of America: Mine Explosions and Fires.
1942-1943. 3. 103 (O).
United States of America: Motor Carrier Fire Accidents, 1942. 3. 105 (O).
Fires Caused by Leaking Compressed Air Pipes.
3. 110 (P).
Confined Spaces. By John M. Techton. 3. I l l (P).
Explosion de Extinguidores Qufmicos.
By Lieut.
Explosions in Medium-Pressure Acetylene Generators. 3. 116 (B).
National Fire Codes for Building Construction and
Equipment. 3. 177 (B).
Great Britain: The Petroleum Spirit (Canals) Order,
1944. Dated 31 .May 1944. 4. 141 (R).
Construction, Care and Use of Permissible Flame
Safety Lamps. 4. 157 (B).
Flammable Substances
(B).
Studies on Explosives and Explosions. 2. 78 (B).
Limits of Inflammability and Ignition Temperatures
of Acetic Anhydride. 2. 78 (B).
Possible Hazards attending the Use of Engines Operated on Butane Fuel in Mining and Tunnelling.
3. 116 (B).
Apparatus for Determining Minimum Energies for
Electric-Spark Ignition of Flammable Gases and
Vapors. 3. 117 (B).
Finland: Order of the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry concerning the Storage, Handling and
Transport of Highly Flammable Celluloid t h a t is
Temporarily Removed from its Regular Storeplace. Dated 27 March 1944. 4. 139 (R).
Poisonous S u b s t a n c e s
Safety Measures for Use of Chlorinated Naphthalenes
and Diphenyls in Industry. By Leonard Greenburg, M.D. 1. 35 (P).
Dermatitis due to the Formaldehyde Resins. By
Kenneth E. Markuson, M.D., M.P.H., Thomas
F. Mancuso, M.D., and John S. Soet. 1. 35 (P).
Noxious Gases and the Principles of Respiration Influencing Their Action. By Yardell Henderson
United States of America: Two New Toxic Fume
Standards. 3. 100 (R).
La Sécurité dans la Traction Automobile au Gazogène. By Marcel Vertongen. 3. I l l (P).
Poisoning due to Industrial Use of Methyl Bromide.
By Harry Heimann, M.D. 3. I l l (P).
FIRE PREVENTION AND EXTINCTION
6.
FIRST AID AND HYGIENE
Aluminium Dust as a Cause of Pneumoconiosis. By
Dr. Ludwig Teleky. 1. 7 (A).
Chile: Course in Industrial Hygiene and Safety. 1.
10 (S).
Canada (British Columbia): Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942.. 1. 18 (O).
VIII
United States of America (New York) : Annual Report
of the Industrial Commissioner, 1942. 1. 31 (O).
of Silicosis and Explosives. By Dr. William
Cullen. 1. 34 (P).
Nuevo Método de Resucitaciön en lo Alto del Poste.
By Howard Miller. 1. 35 (P).
Dermatitis due to the Formaldehyde Resins. By
Kenneth E. Markuson, M.D., M.P.H., Thomas
F. Mancuso, M.D., and John S. Soet. 1. 35 (P).
Medical First Aid in Eye Accidents and Injuries. By
J. M. Carlisle, M.D. 1. 35 (P).
Records—The "Seeing Eye" of Industrial Medicine.
1021 Answers to Industrial Health and Safety Problems. Edited by Jack E. Weiss. 1. 38 (B).
The Principles and Practice of Industrial Medicine.
Edited by Fred J. Wampler, M.D. 1. 39 (B).
Folleto de Primera Cura. 1. 39 (B).
Great Britain: The Coal Mines (South Wales) (Pneumoconiosis) Order, 1943. 2. 60 (R).
Great Britain: The Coal Mining (Training and Medical Examination) Order, 1944. Effective 1 February 1944. 2. 61 (R).
Peru: Supreme Resolution No. 358 concerning Health
2. 61 (R).
Occupational Risks in Spray Painting. 3 April
1943. 2. 61 (R).
Great Britain: Social Medicine in Scotland. 2. 65 (0).
Ventilation and Heating, Lighting and Seeing. 2. 78
(B).
Noxious Gases and the Principles of Respiration Influencing Their Action. By Yardell Henderson
Primeros Auxilios. Cartilla Elemental para los Capataces y Obreros de Establecimientos Industriales.
2. 79 (B).
France (Corsica) : Order Dated 10 March 1944 respecting the Provisional Reorganisation of Industrial Medical Services in Corsica. 3. 98 (R).
La profilaxis de los accidentes del trabajo. By Henri
François Tecoz. 3. 107 (P).
First-Aid Treatment of Burns and Scalds. By Leonard
Colebrook, Thomas Gibson and J. P. Todd.
• 3. 112 (P).
Yrkessjiikdomar. By John Nordin. 3. 118 (B).
Industrial Ophthalmology. By Hedwig S. Kuhn,
M.D. 3. 118 (B).
Memorandum on Medical Supervision in Factories.
3. 119 (B).
Chemistry and Cancer. By J. W. Cook, D.Sc, F.R.S.
3. 119 (B).
Spain: National Institute of Industrial Medicine,
Health and Safety. 4. 136 (S).
Canada (Quebec): Amendments to the Quebec
Public Health Act, 1941. Dated 12 February 1944.
4. 139 (R).
Belgium: Occupational Diseases, 1943. 4. 142 (O).
of Factories, 1943. 4. 144 (O).
Union of South Africa: Report of the Miners' Phthisis
Medical Bureau, 1939-1941. 4. 151 (O).
Mining Accidents. Special Methods of First-Aid
Treatment. By Dr. S. Bridge Davis. 4. 153 (P).
Donald Hunter, R. Milton, Kenneth M. A. Perry
and D. R. Thompson. 4. 155 (P).
4. 155 (P).
4. 159 (B).
7. PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Plastics Fight for Safety. 1. 35 (P).
Augenschutzvorrichtung an Schleifmaschinen. 1. 35
(P).
II Problema della Sicurezza alle Molatrici. By E.
Fagioli. 1. 35 (P).
Ein Beitrag zur Schutzbrillenfrage. By Dipl.-Ing.
Schweers. 1. 36 (P).
Conservation of Personal Protective Equipment.
1. 39 (B).
Safety Calls for Color. By Matt Denning. 2. 76
(P).
Use and Misuse of Flame Safety Lamps. 2. 77 (B).
Fencing of Drilling Machine Spindles, Chucks and
Tools. 2. 78 (B).
and other Safety Precautions. 2. 78 (B).
Drop Hammers—Props and Catches. 2. 78 (B).
Sweden: Act Amending the Labour Protection Act
of June 1912. Dated 17 March 1944. 3. 99 (R).
United States of America: Eye Injuries in Shipyards.
3. 101 (O).
Eye-Plan for Safety. By T. R. Leadbeater. 3. 108
(R).
Effective Controls of Hazards in Welding, Flame
3. 110 (R).
Explosion de Extinguidores Qufmicos. By Lieut.
2nd Hand Safety. By A. O. Boniface. 3. 112 (P).
They Can be Guarded. By Jack F. Hatton. 3. 112
(P).
All is not Vanity. By Mildred Waugh. 3. 112 (P).
Lighting and the Eye. By D. B. Harmon. 4. 155
(P).
Construction, Care and Use of Permissible Flame
Safety Lamps. 4. 157 (B).
8. W O M E N AND YOUNG PERSONS
Argentina: Decrees respecting the Employment of
Women and Minors. Dated 19 and 24 August
1943. 1. 13 (R).
The Effect of the War on Child-Labor Legislation
during 1943. 1. 36 (P).
Women go to Bat. By Lillian Stemp. 1. 37 (P).
United States of America (New York): Accidents to
Minors, 1942. 2. 73 (O).
Safeguarding the Woman Employee. 2. 79 (B).
Switzerland: Order concerning Work in which it is
Prohibited to Employ Women and Young Persons. Dated 11 January 1944. 3. 99 (R).
All is not Vanity. By Mildred Waugh. 3. 112 (P).
of Factories, 1943. 4. 114 (O).
Unfallhäufigkeit beim Fraueneinsatz im Maschinenbau. 4. 155 (P).
9. STATISTICS
Brazil: Health and Safety Conditions in Gold Mines.
1. 18 (O).
Canada (British Columbia): Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942. 1. 18 (O).
Canada (Ontario): Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942. 1. 20 (O).
Finland: Industrial Accident Statistics 1937-1939.
1. 20 (O).
1941. 1. 22 (O).
Sweden: Annual Report of the Industrial Inspectorate
for 1941. 1. 23 (O).
Sweden: Industrial Accidents in 1940. 1. 25 (O).
Switzerland: Annual Report of the Swiss National
Accident Insurance Institute for 1942. 1. 26 (O).
INDEX
Switzerland: Electrical Accidents, 1942. 1. 26 (0).
United States of America: Accidents and Employment in the Petroleum Industry of the United
States during 1942. 1. 27 (O).
United States of America: Accidents in 1942. 1. 28
(0).
United States of America (Illinois): Industrial Accidents in 1942. 1. 30. (0).
United States of America (New York): Compensated
Accidents in 1942. 1. 33 (0).
Work Accidents in the United States Shipyards, 1943.
By Max D. Kossoris, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C. 2. 41 (A). .
Australia (New South Wales): Factory Accidents,
1942. 2. 62 (O).
Canada (Alberta): Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942. 2. 62 (O).
Denmark: Industrial Accident Statistics, 1934-1938.
2. 63 (0).
Denmark: Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate,
1942. 2. 64 (0).
1942. 2. 65 (0).
Palestine: Accidents in the Manufacturing Industry,
1939-1941. 2. 66 (0).
United States of America: Accidents in War Plants.
2. 68 (0).
United States of America: Coal-Mine Accidents in
1941. 2. 70 (0).
United States of America: Industrial Injuries in 1942.
2. 72 (0).
United States of America (New York): Accidents to
Minors, 1942. 2. 73 (0).
United States of America (Ohio) : Accidents in Ohio,
1942. 2. 74 (0).
A Matter of Proper Construction. By Captain Robert
F. Alexander. 2. 74 (P).
Accidents in Foundry Occupations as Analyzed by
Cause. 2. 75 (P).
Making Money through Safety. 2. 75 (P).
Accidents to Part-Time Workers. 2. 76 (P).
Arbeiterschutz im Kriege. 2. 76 (P).
Weight Lifting by Industrial Workers. 2. 77 (B).
(B).
Canada: Fatal Industrial Accidents, 1943. 3. 100
.(0).
United States of America: Causes and Prevention of
Injuries from Falls in Shipyards. 3. 101 (O).
United States of America: Eye Injuries in Shipyards.
3. 101 (0).
Mines in 1943. 3. 102 (0).
United States of America: Employment and Accidents at Gold, Silver and Miscellaneous Metal
Mines in 1942. 3. 104 (0).
United States of America: Accidents in Various Metal
Mines, 1942. 3. 104 (O).
United States of America: Accidents in the Petroleum
Industry, 1943. 3. 105 (0).
United States of America: Motor Carrier Fire Accidents, 1942. 3. 105 (0).
United States of America (New York): Industrial
Fatalities, 1943. 3. 106 (O).
United States of America (Wisconsin) : Compensable
Injury Cases Settled in 1943. 3. 107 (O).
Analysis of 1009 Consecutive Accident Cases at One
Failure of Supervision as Related to the Causes of
Accidents. 3. 118 (B).
Great Britain: National Joint Industrial Council for
the Flour Milling Industry. Twenty-fifth Annual
Report, 1943-1944. 4. 136 (S).
4. 142 (0).
Belgium: Occupational Diseases, 1943. 4. 142 (0).
Great Britain: Accidents in Mines, 1938-1943. 4. 143
(0).
of Factories, 1943. 4. 144 (0).
India: Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Mines
for the Year 1941. 4. 150 (0).
India: Factory Report for the Year 1942. 4. 151 (0).
United States of America: Quarry Accidents in 1942.
4. 152 (0).
10.
INSPECTION
General
France: Order concerning Safety Organisation in the
Building and Civil Engineering Industries. 1 July
1943. 1. 13 (R). •
Canada (British Columbia) : Report of the Workmen's
Compensation Board, 1942. 1. 18 (0).
1941. 1. 22 (O).
Palestine: Report of the Department of Labour for
1942. 1. 23 (O).
Sweden: Annual Report of the Industrial Inspectorate
for 1941. 1. 23 (O).
United States of America (New York) : Annual Report
of the Industrial Commissioner, 1942. 1. 31 (0).
Asuntos del Trabajo. By Jos6 A. Ruiz Moreno. 1. 39
(B).
Electrical Inspection and Licensing Act. 10
December 1943. 2. 60 (R).
Denmark: Annual Report of the Factorv Inspectorate,
1942. 2. 64 (0).
1942. 2. 65 (O).
Switzerland: Report of the Federal Factory Inspectorate for 1942. 2. 67 (0).
Canada (Quebec^ : Amendments to the Quebec Public
Health Act 1941. Dated 12 February 1944. 4. 139
(R).
of Factories, 1943. 4. 144 (O).
Factory Inspection in Britain. By Sir Wilfrid Garrett.
4. 155 (P).
Mines Inspection
Mines in 1943. 3. 102 (0).
India: Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Mines
for the Year 1941. 4. 150 (0).
Other Inspectorates
Carburettors and other Accessories) Order, 1944.
Dated 25 April 1944. 3. 98 (R).
Finland: Act concerning Inspection of Quarries for
Certain Minerals. Dated 4 February 1944. 4. 140
(R).
Finland: Regulations for the Enforcement of the
Act concerning Inspection of Quarries for Certain
Minerals. Dated 4 February 1944. 4. 141 |(R).
11.
SAFETY MOVEMENT
General
United States of America: American Federation of
Labor. Resolution to Establish a Safety Organisation. 1. 11 (S).
X
Palestine: Report of the Department of Labour for
1942. 1. 23 (0).
Meyer. 1. 34 (P).
Funciön de la Propaganda en las Campanas de Seguridad. By Carmelo Martfnez Reyes. 1. 37 (P).
Recreation, Aid to Safety. By Floyd R. Eastwood.
1. 37 (P).
1. 37 (P).
Safety Speaks in Arabic. By A. L. Anderson. 1. 38
Sweden: Safety Organisation in Municipal Works.
2. 56 (S).
Argentina: Decree No. 15074 Creating the Secretariat
of Labour and Social Welfare. 27 November 1943.
2. 60 (R).
Great Britain: Social Medicine in Scotland. 2. 65
(0).
2. 68 (0).
Making Money through Safety. 2. 75 (P).
Joint Safety Committees at Work : A Report of Union
Participation. 2. 79 (B).
Brazil: Order No. 47 respecting Uniform Standards
for the Classification of Industrial Accidents and
Occupational Diseases. 3. 97 (R).
France (Corsica): Order Dated 10 March 1944 respecting the Provisional Reorganisation of Industrial Medical Services in Corsica. 3. 98 (R).
Safety Subjects. 3. 118 (B).
Argentina: A New Safety Magazine. 4. 135 (S).
Argentina: Argentine Safety Institute. 4. 135 (S).
Australia: The National Safety Council of Australia
in 1943. 4. 135 (S).
Sidorenko. 4. 155 (P).
Congresses
United States of America (Ohio): Fourteenth AllOhio Safety Congress, April 1943. 1. 12 (S).
United States of America: National Safety Council.
The Thirty-second National Safety Congress.
2. 57 (S).
United States of America: Tenth National Conference on Labor Legislation, December 1943.
2. 58 (S).
United States of America (Pennsylvania) : State-Wide
Industrial Safety Conference. 2. 59 (S).
The Thirty-third National Safety Congress.
4. 137 (S).
Education
Chile: Course in Industrial Hygiene and Safety. 1. 10
(S).
1. 37 (P).
Fremdsprachige Arbeiter in deutschen Betrieben.
By Dipl.-Ing. Feder. 1. 38 (P).
United States of America (New York): New York
University Center for Safety Education. 2. 59
(S).
Great Britain: Regulation respecting Training and
Supervision in Coal Mines. 2. 60 (R).
Great Britain: The Coal Mining (Training and
Medical Examination) Order, 1944. Effective
1 February 1944. 2. 61 (R).
Safety Measures on the Mines. 2. 75 (P).
Models for Safety Instruction. 2. 76 (P).
Training Manual for Auxiliary Firemen. 2. 78 (B).
Primeros Auxilios.
Cartilla Elemental para los
Capataces y Obreros de Establecimientos Industriales. 2. 79 (B).
Industrial Mental Health Manual. 2. 79 (B).
Sweden: The State Telegraph Administration. Safety
Education Programme. 3. 95 (S).
Industrial Psychology
Funciön de la Propaganda en las Campafîas de Seguridad. By Carmelo Martfnez Reyes. 1. 37 (P).
El Factor Psicolögico en los Accidentes del Trabajo.
By Dr. Ismael Urbandt. 1. 37 (P).
Recreation, Aid to Safety. By Floyd R. Eastwood.
1. 37 (P).
Six Tested Ways to Safetv. By John B. Dunne. 1. 37
(P).
La creation de estados psicolôgicos propios para la
seguridad. By José Mallart. 2. 76 (P).
Industrial Mental Health Manual. 2. 79 (B).
New Zealand: Victoria University College. First
Annual Report of the Industrial Psychology
Division, 1943. 3. 94 (S).
La profilaxis de los accidentes del trabajo. By Henri
François Tecoz. 3. 107 (P).
Psychiatry in Industrial Accidents. By Lowell S.
Selling, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. P.H. 3. 113 (P).
Museums and Exhibitions
Sweden: Workers' Protection Association. Report
for 1942. 1. 10 (S).
Off-the-Job Accidents
United States of America: Accidents in 1942. 1. 2S
(O).
No Quitting Time for Safety. By Thomas J. Sinclair.
1. 38 (P).
Safety in the Home. By Mamie N. Whisnant and
Elta Majors. 4. 159 (B).
Safety Associations, etc.
Australia (New South Wales): Establishment of a
State Accident Prevention Committee. 1. 10 (S).
Sweden: Workers Protection Association. Report for
1942. 1. 10 (S).
United States of America: American Standards Association. Silver Jubilee. 1. 11 (S).
United States of America: American Federation of
Labor. Resolution to Establish a Safety Organisation. 1. 11 (S).
Canada (British Columbia): Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942. 1. 18 (O).
Canada (Ontario): Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942. 1. 20 (O).
Research Board, 1942. 1. 21 (0).
Switzerland: Annual Report of the Swiss National
Accident Insurance Institute for 1942. 1. 26 (O).
United States of America (New York): Annual
Report of the Industrial Commissioner, 1942.
1. 31 (O).
The Thirty-second National Safety Congress.
2. 57 (S).
Canada (Alberta): Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942. 2. 62 (0).
Belgium: National Institute of Mines, Report for
1942. 3. 93 (S).
Brazil: Creation of an Accident Prevention Commission. 3. 94 (S).
XI
INDEX
Canada (Alberta): Formation of the Alberta Industrial Accident Prevention Association. 3. 94 (S).
New Zealand: Victoria University College. First
Annual Report of the Industrial Psychology
Division, 1943. 3. 94 (S).
Sweden: The State Telegraph Administration. Safety
Education Programme. 3. 95 (S).
United States of America (New York): Establishment of a Division of Industrial Safety. 3. 96 (S).
The National Safety Council. By Ned H. Dearborn.
4. 121 (A).
International: International Association of Industrial
Accident Boards and Commissions. 1943 Convention, Harrisburg, Pa. 4. 135 (S).
Argentina: Argentine Safety Institute. 4. 135 (S).
Australia: The National Safety Council of Australia
in 1943. 4. 135 (S).
The Thirty-third National Safety Congress.
4. 137 (S).
Safety Campaigns
Funciön de la Propaganda en las Campanas de Seguridad. By Carmelo Martinez Reyes. 1. 37 (P).
La Seguridad y el Administrador. La Importancia
de su Ayuda y Como Lograrla. 1. 37 (P).
Work Accidents in the United States Shipyards,
1943. By Max D. Kossoris, U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics; Washington, D.C. 2. 41 (A).
Safety Magazines
Argentina: A New Safety Magazine. 4. 135 (S).
Wartime Accidents
United States of America: Collaboration between the
War Production Board and the Department of
Labor in Accident Prevention Work. 1. 11 (S).
2. 68 (0).
Arbeiterschutz im Kriege. 2. 76 (P).
Wartime Accident Prevention in the Paint and Varnish Industry. By Arthur W. Stevdel. 3. 110
(P).
Aufgaben und Wirkungskreis der Sicherheitsingenieure im Kriege. By Dipl-Ing". Folkhard. 3. 114
(P).
Works Safety Organisations
Australia (New South Wales): Establishment of a
State Accident Prevention Committee. 1. 10 (S).
United States of America: Collaboration between the
War Production Board and the Department of
Labor in Accident Prevention Work. 1. 11 (S).
• Germany: Decree respecting Safety Engineers in Industrial Undertakings. 1. 16 (R).
United States of America: Minimum Requirements
for Safety and Industrial Health in Contract
Shipyards. 1. 17 (R).
Records—The "Seeing Eye" of Industrial Medicine.
Safety on the Work Front. By W. L. Lovett. 1. 37
(P).
de su Ayuda y Como Lograrla. 1. 37 (P).
Sweden: Safety Organisation in Municipal Works.
2. 56 (S).
A Matter of Proper Construction. By Captain
Robert F. Alexander. 2. 74 (P).
Organizing Construction Safety from Coast to Coast.
By C. W. Kinnison. 2. 75 (P).
Applied Safety Engineering. By H. H. Herman and
H. W. McCrone. 2. 79 (B).
Development of a Safety Program. 2. 79 (B).
Joint Safety Committee at Work: A Report of Union
Participation. 2. 79 .(B).
Our Unfinished Job. By H. W. Anderson. 3. 107 (P).
3. 107 (P).
Analyzing the Accident Records and Using the
Results for Manufacturing Industries. By George
F. Nuernberger. 3. 112 (P).
Analysis of 1009 Consecutive Accident Causes at One
"Rehabilitation" and the Safety Engineer. By C. P.
Anderson. 3. 113 (P).
In-Plant Feeding Activity Brings Remarkable Results
at Diamond Chain Factory. 3.- 113 (P).
The Amazing Story of Picatinny Arsenal. By Colonel
W. E. Lamed. 3. 114 (P).
Aufgaben und Wirkungskreis der Sicherheitsingenieure im Kriege. By Dipl.-Ing. Folkhard. 3. 114
(P).
La Seguridad Industrial. By Isidro Rius Sintes.
3. 115 (B).
Safety Subjects. 3. 118 (B).
Failure of Supervision as related to the Causes of
Accidents. 3. 118 (B).
Memorandum on Medical Supervision in Factories.
3. 119 (B).
4. 159 (B).
II. Safety Institutions, Associations
and Museums
International
International Association of Industrial Accident
Boards and Commissions. 1943 Convention,
Harrisburg, Pa. 4. 135 (S).
Argentina
A New Safety Magazine. 4. 135 (S).
Argentine Safety Institute. 4. 135 (S).
Australia
The National Safety Council of Australia in 1943.
4. 135 (S).
New South Wales: Establishment of a State] Accident Prevention Committee. 1. 10 (S).
Belgium
National Institute of Mines, Report for 1942. 3. 93
(S).
Brazil
Creation of an Accident Prevention Commission.
3. 94 (S).
Canada
Alberta: Formation of the Alberta Industrial Accident Prevention Association. 3. 94 (S).
Chile
Course in Industrial Hygiene and Safety. 1. 10 (S).
Great Britain
National Joint Industrial Council for the Flour
Milling Industry. Twenty-fifth Annual Report,
1943-1944. 4. 136 (S).
XII
New Zealand
Victoria University College. First Annual Report of
the Industrial Psychology Division, 1943. 3. 94
(S).
Spain
National Institute of Industrial Medicine, Health
and Safety. 4. 136 (S).
Sweden
Workers Protection Association. Report for 1942.
1. 10 (S).
Safety Organisation in Municipal Works. 2. 56 (S).
The State Telegraph Administration. Safety Education Programme. 3. 95 (S).
Switzerland
The Advisory Office for Accident Prevention in 1942.
2. 56 (S).
The Advisory Office for Accident Prevention in 1943.
3. 95 (S).
United States of America
American Standards Association. Silver Jubilee.
1. 11 (S). '
American Federation of Labor. Resolution to Establish a Safety Organisation. 1. 11 (S).
Collaboration between the War Production Board
and the Department of Labor in Accident Prevention Work. 1. 11 (S).
National Safety Council. The Thirty-second National
Safety Congress. 2. 57 (S).
Tenth National Conference on Labor Legislation,
December 1943. 2. 58 (S).
National Safety Council. The Thirty-third National
Safety Congress. 4. 137 (S).
New York: New York University Center for Safety
Education. 2. 59 (S).
New York: Establishment of a Division of Industrial Safety. 3. 96 (S).
Ohio: Fourteenth All-Ohio Safetv Congress, April
1943. 1. 12 (S).
Pennsylvania: State-Wide Industrial Safety Conference. 2. 59 (S).
III. Acts, Regulations, Safety Codes
Argentina
Regulations respecting the Inspection and Testing
of Boilers and Locomotives. 1. 13 (R).
Decree (No. 7134) respecting Prevention of Accidents in Welding. 1 September 1943. 1. 13 (R).
Decrees respecting the Employment of Women and
Minors. Dated 19 and 24 August 1943. 1. 13 (R).
Decree No. 15074 creating the Secretariat of Labour
and Social Welfare. 27 November 1943. 2. 60 (R).
Decree No. 13671/44 respecting the Classification of
Mechanical Cleaning and Dressing of Carpets as
Work Dangerous to the Health. Dated 30 May
1944. 4. 138 (R).
Australia
New South Wales: Regulation No. 13 respecting
Lighting in Factories. Effective 1 September 1943.
1. 13 (R).
New South Wales: Regulations for Securing the
Safety of Persons Employed at Circular Saws
Used for Cutting Firewood or Timber. 1. 13 (R).
New South Wales: Lacquering Regulations. Gazetted
30 June 1944. 4. 138 (R).
Brazil
Order No. 47 respecting Uniform Standards for the
Classification of Industrial Accidents and Occupational Diseases. 3. 97 (R).
British Dependencies
Dominica: Factory and Machinery Rules.
16 March 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Dated
Canada
Alberta: Regulations governing the Erection, Operation and Public Safety of Entertainment Halls,
Places of Amusement, Theatres, Motion Picture
Theatres and Motion Picture Equipment, etc.
Dated 19 July 1944. 4. 138 (R).
British Columbia: Regulations respecting the Welding of Steam-Boilers and Pressure-Vessels. Dated
2 May 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Ontario: Regulations under the Theatres and Cinematographs Act. Dated 11 July 1944. 4.. 139 (R).
Ontario: Regulations concerning the Control <:! Dust
in Factories. Dated 18 August 1944. 4. 139 (R).
Quebec: Regulations for the Carrying out of the
Pressure Vessels Act. Dated 20 April 1944. 3. 97
(R).
Quebec: Amendments to the Quebec Public Health
Act 1941. Dated 12 February 1944. 4. 139 (R).
Saskatchewan: Regulations under the Electrical
Inspection and Licensing Act. 10 December 1943.
2. 60 (R).
Saskatchewan: Regulations for the Prevention of
Accidents in Grain Elevators. 20 January 1944.
2. 60 (R).
Saskatchewan: Mines Regulations. 20 January 1944.
2. 60 (R).
Saskatchewan: Electrical Regulations. Dated 24
March 1944. 3. 97 (R).
Denmark
Notification concerning the Equipment and Use of
Compressed Air Receivers, Hydrophores and
other Containers with Air Under Pressure. Dated
2 March 1944. 4. 139 (R).
Finland
Order of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
concerning the Storage, Handling and Transport
of Highly Flammable Celluloid that is Temporarily Removed from its Regular Storeplace.
Dated 27 March 1944. 4. 139 (R).
Order of the Ministry of Communications and Public
Works concerning Garages and Generator Gas
Vehicles in Them. 1 February 1944. 4. 140 (R).
Act concerning Inspection of Quarries for Certain
Minerals. Dated 4 February 1944. 4. 140 (R).
Regulations for the Enforcement of the Act concerning Inspection of Quarries for Certain Minerals.
Dated 4 February 1944. 4. 141 (R).
France
Order concerning Safety Organisation in the Building
and Civil Engineering Industries. 1 Julv 1943.
1. 13 (R).
Decree respecting Roof Work. 10 August 1943.
1. 15 (R).
Corsica: Order Dated 10 March 1944 respecting the
Provisional Reorganisation of Industrial Medical
Services in Corsica. 3. 98 (R).
Germany
Provisional Guiding Principles for the Installation of
Electrical Equipment in Industrial Premises and
Storeplaces in which there is an Explosion Risk
from Acetylene. February 1943. 1. 15 (R).
INDEX
Decree respecting Safety Engineers in Industrial
Undertakings. 1: 16 (R).
Great Britain
Regulations respecting Training and Supervision in
Coal Mines. 2. 60 (R).
The Coal Mines (South Wales) (Pneumoconiosis)
Order, 1943. 2. 60 (R).
The Coal Mining (Training and Medical Examination) Order, 1944. Effective 1 February 1944.
2. 61 (R).
Factories (Testing of Aircraft Engines, Carburettors
and other Accessories) Order, 1944. Dated 25
April 1944. 3. 98 (R).
The Patent Fuel Manufacture (Health and Welfare)
Order, 1944. Dated 27 April 1944. 3. 98 (R).
Agreement respecting the Safety and Welfare of
Workers engaged in the Scaling, Scurfing and
Cleaning of Boilers, and the Cleaning of Oil-Fuel
Tanks, Bilges, etc., in Ships. 3. 98 (R).
The Petroleum Spirit (Canals) Order, 1944. Dated
31 May 1944. 4. 141 (R).
The Government Explosives (Canals) Order, 1944.
Dated 31 May 1944. 4. 141 (R).
XIII
South Australia: Annual Report of the Factories and
Steam Boilers Department, 1943. 4. 142 (O).
Belgium
Occupational Diseases, 1943. 4. 142 (O).
Brazil
Health and Safety Conditions in Gold Mines. 1. 18
(0).
Canada
Fatal Industrial Accidents, 1943. 3. 100 (O).
Alberta: Report of the Workmen's Compensation
Board, 1942. 2. 62 ( 0 ) .
British Columbia: Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942. 1. 18 (O).
Ontario: Report of the Workmen's Compensation
Board, 1942. 1. 20 (O).
Denmark
Industrial Accident Statistics, 1934-1938. 2. 63 ( 0 ) .
Annual Report of the Factorv Inspectorate, 1942.
2. 64 (O).
India
Mysore: The Mysore Explosives Rules, 1943. 2. 61
(R).
Peru
Finland
Industrial Accident Statistics, 1937-1939. 1. 20 (O).
Supreme Resolution No. 358 concerning Health
2. 61 (R).
Spain
National Labour Regulations for the Printing Industry. Dated 23 February 1944. 3. 99 (R).
Sweden
Great Britain
•
Annual Report of the Safety in Mines Research
Board, 1942. 1. 21 ( 0 ) .
Social Medicine in Scotland. 2. 65 ( 0 ) .
Accidents in Mines, 1938-1943. 4. 143 ( 0 ) .
Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories,
1943. 4. 144 (O).
India
Instructions concerning Protection against Occupational Risks in Spray Painting. 3 April 1943.
2. 61 (R).
Act Amending the Labour Protection Act of June
1912. Dated 17 March 1944. 3. 99 (R).
Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Mines for
the Year 1941. 4. 150 ( 0 ) .
Factory Report for the Year 1942. 4. 151 ( 0 ) .
Norway
Switzerland
Order concerning Work in which it is Prohibited to
Employ Women and Young Persons. Dated 11
January 1944. 3. 99 (R).
U n i t e d S t a t e s of A m e r i c a
American Standard Safety Code for Cranes, Derricks
and Hoists. Approved by The American Standards
Association, January 1943. 1. 16 (R).
National Fire Codes for the Prevention of Dust Explosions, 1943. 1. 17 (R).
Minimum Requirements for Safety and Industrial
Health in Contract Shipyards. 1. 17 (R).
Two New Toxic Fume Standards. 3. 100 (R).
District of Columbia: Safety Standards—Construction. Effective 20 July 1944. 4. 141 (R).
New Jersey: Standards for the Protection of Workers
in Gas and Electric Welding. 2. 61 (R).
Oregon: Safety Code for Construction Work. Effective 1 December 1942. 1. 17 (R).
IV. Official Reports
Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate, 1941.
1. 22 (O).
Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate, 1942.
1. 65 ( 0 ) .
Palestine
Report of the Department of Labour for 1942. 1. 23
(O).
Accidents in the Manufacturing Industry, 1939-1941.
2. 66 (0).
Sweden
Annual Report of the Industrial Inspectorate for
1941. 1. 23 ( 0 ) .
Industrial Accidents in 1940. 1. 25 ( 0 ) .
Switzerland
Annual Report of the Swiss National Accident Insurance Institute for 1942. 1. 26 ( 0 ) .
Electrical Accidents, 1942. 1. 26 (O).
Report of the Federal Factory Inspectorate for 1942.
2. 67 ( 0 ) .
Australia
Report on Dust Hazards in Foundries. 2. 62 (O).
New South Wales: Factory Accidents, 1942. 2. 62
(O).
U n i o n of S o u t h Africa
Report of the Miners' Phthisis Medical
1939-1941. 4. 151 ( 0 ) .
Bureau,
XIV
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY
United States of America
Accidents and Employment in the Petroleum Industry of the United States during 1942. 1. 27
(0).
Research on Sub-Audible Noises of Rock in Mines
and their Use for the Prediction of Rock Bursts.
1. 28 (O).
Accidents in 1942. 1. 28 (O).
Accidents in War Plants. 2. 68 (0).
Coal Mine Accidents in 1941. 2. 70 (0).
Metal and Non-Metal Mine Accidents, 1941. 2. 71
(0).
Industrial Injuries in 1942. 2. 72 (0).
Causes and Prevention of Injuries from Falls in Shipyards. 3. 101 (O).
Eye Injuries in Shipyards. 3. 101 (0).
Federal Inspection of Mines in 1943. 3. 102 (O).
Mine Explosions and Fires, 1942-1943. 3. 103 (0).
Employment and Accidents at Gold, Silver and Miscellaneous Metal Mines in 1942. 3. 104 (O).
Accidents in Various Metal Mines, 1942. 3. 104 (0).
United States Bureau of Mines. Annual Report of
Research and Technological Work on Coal. Fiscal
Year 1943. 3. 105 (0).
Accidents in the Petroleum Industry, 1943. 3. 105
.(0).
Motor Carrier Fire Accidents, 1942. 3. 105 (O).
Injuries and Accident Causes in the Longshore Industry, 1942. 3. 106 (0).
Quarry Accidents in 1942. 4. 152 (0).
Illinois: Industrial Accidents in 1942. 1. 30 (0).
New York: Annual Report of the Industrial Commissioner, 1942. 1. 31 (0).
New York: Compensated Accidents in 1942. 1. 33
(O).
New York: Accidents to Minors, 1942. 2. 73 (O).
New York: Industrial Fatalities, 1943. 3. 106 (O).
Ohio: Accidents in Ohio, 1942. 2. 74 (0).
Wisconsin: Compensable Injurv Cases Settled in
1913. 3. 107 (0).
V. List of Authors
Alexander, Capt. Robert F. 2. 74.
Anderson, A. L. 1. 38.
Anderson, C. P. 3. 113.
Anderson, H. W. 3. 107.
Ansola, Dr. José. 3. 112.
Argus H., Federico. 3. 111.
Barber, Charles W. 2. 76.
Barlow, Paul M. 2. 75.
Benson, Roy. 1. 35.
Berman, H. H. 2. 79.
Bertram, Dipl.-Ing. 1. 35.
Blanco Larrinaga, Lieut. Antonio. 3. 112.
Boniface, A. 0. 3. 112.
Bridge Davis, Dr. S. 4. 153.
Bush, A. J.F.M.,
3. 110.
Carlisle,
M.D. 1. 35.
Castberg, H. T., M.D. 3. 110.
Colebrook, Leonard. 3. 112.
Cook, J. W., D.Sc, F.R.S. 3. 119.
Copeland, A. H. 3. 112.
Cross, Glen D. 3. 110.
Cullen, Dr. William. 1. 34.
Dearborn, Ned H. 4. 121.
Denning, Matt. 2. 76.
D'Olive, E. R. 2. 76.
Dooley, Joseph P. 3. 111.
Dunne, John B. 1. 37.
Eastwood, Floyd R. 1. 37.
Elliott, E. E. 2. 76.
Escudero, Dr. Eduardo. 3. U2.
SUHVKY
Fagioli, E. 1. 35.
Feder, Dipl.-Ing. 1. 38.
Feiner, Benjamin. 3. 111.
Folkhard, Dipl.-Ing. 3. 114.
Forstmann, Dipl.-Ing. Richard. 4. 153.
Fulton, William J., M.D. 1. 36.
Fuson, H. W. 1. 34.
Galloway, A. E., Ph.D. 3. 111.
Garrett, Sir Wilfrid. 4. 155.
Gibson, Thomas. 3. 112:
Graham, J. Ivon. 3. 108.
Greenburg, Leonard, M.D. 1. 35.
Guitart Sivilla, Franco. 3. 111.
Haggard, Howard W. 2. 78.
Harmon, D. B. 4. 155.
Hatton, Jack F. 3. 112.
Heimann, Harry, M.D. 3. 111.
Henderson; Yardell. 2. 78.
Humphreys, H. J., D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C. 3. 108.
Hunter, Donald. 4. 155.
Jacobs, Morris B., Ph.D. 3. 117.
Johnson, Walter T. 3. 81.
Kinnison, C. W. 2. 75.
Kossoris, Max D. 2. 41.
Kuhn, Hedwig S., M.D. 3. 118.
Lagerstrom, R. E. 2. 76.
Larned, Col. W. E. 3. 114.
Larson, A. W. 2. 76.
Leadbeater, T. R. 3. 108.
Lo-Presti, Joseph, M.D. 4. 153.
Lovett.-W. L. 1. 37.
Lusk, R. R. 2. 76.
Machin, Win. A. 1. 34.
MacPherson, D. G. 3. 110.
Majors, Elta. 4. 159.
Mallart, José. 2: 76.
Mancuso, Thomas F., M.D. 1. 35.
Mann, James. 3. 113.
Markuson, Kenneth E., M.D., M.P.H. 1. 35.
Martinez Reyes, Carmelo. 1. 37.
McClelland, A. E. 1-. 34.
McCrone, H. W. 2. 79.
Mellor, Joseph F. 3. 111.
Meyer, Dr. Rudolf. 1. 34.
Miller, Howard. 1. 35.
Milton, R. 4. 155.
Morley, R. B. 1. 1.
Moskowitz, Samuel. 3. 111.
Nordin, John. 3. 118.
Nuernberger, George F. 3. 112.
Perry, Kenneth M. A. 4. 155.
Potter, N. M., M.Sc, Ph.D. 3. 109.
Prieto A., José C. 4. 154.
Riley, W. 1. 34.
Rippie, C. W. 3. 112.
Rius Sintes, Isidro. 3. 115.
Ruiz Moreno, José A. 1. 39.
Santaella Salas, José. 3. 111.
Schulz, Dipl.-Ing. Paul. 4. 153.
Schvveers, Dipl.-Ing. 1. 36.
Selling, Lowell S., M.D., Ph.D., Dr. P.H. 3. 113.
Shilen, Joseph, M.D. 3. 111.
Sidorenko, E. 4. 155.
Sinclair, Thomas J. 1. 38.
Soet, John S. 1. 35.
Stead, Frank M. 3. 111.
Stemp, Lillian. 1. 37.
XV
INDEX
Stern, Arthur C. 3. 110.
Stevdal, Arthur W. 3. 110.
Uiberall. Dr. Enrique. 3. 112.
Urbandt, Dr. Ismael. 1. 37.
ïechton, John M. 3. 111.
Tecoz, Henri François. 3. 107.
Teleky, Dr. Ludwig. 1. 7.
Thompson, D. R. 4. 155.
Todd, J. P. 3. 112.
Tugman, R. E. 2. 74.
Vertongen, Marcel. 3. 111.
Wampler, Fred J., M.D. 1. 39.
Waugh, Mildred. 3. 112.
Weiss, Jack E. 1. 38.
Whisnant, Mamie N. 4. 159.
Woodward, E. C. 4. 156.
Printed by INLAND PRESS LIMITED, Montreal, Canada - m ^ w
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE
QNUDUSïUflAI.
SÂFËfY
SURVEY
WISDOM
Published Every Three Months
VOLUME XX, No. 1
JANUARY-MARCH 1944
Price per Number: 2s.; 50 cents
Annual Subscription: 7s. 6d.; $1.50
{Industrial Accident Prevention Associations,
Toronto, Canada.)
CONTENTS
Page
T h e Universities a n d Safety I n s t r u c t i o n .
A Report on Certain Educational Activities in t h e United States and Canada. By R. B. MORLEY, General
Manager, Industrial Accident Prevention Associations, Toronto
1
A l u m i n i u m D u s t as a Cause of P n e u m o c o n i o s i s . By D r . Ludwig TELEKY, New York, N . Y
7
Safety I n s t i t u t i o n s , Associations a n d M u s e u m s .
AUSTRALIA (New South Wales) : Establishment of a State Accident Prevention Committee
10
C H I L E : Course in Industrial Hygiene and Safety
SWEDEN: Workers Protection Association, Report for 1942
10
10
U N I T E D STATES OP AMERICA:
American Standards Association
11
American Federation of Labor
Collaboration between the War Production Board and the Department of Labor in Accident Prevention Work.
(Ohio): Fourteenth All-Ohio Safety Congress, April 1943
11
11
12
Laws a n d R e g u l a t i o n s , Safety Codes.
ARGENTINA: Regulations respecting the Inspection and Testing of Boilers and Locomotives
Decree (No. 7,134) respecting Prevention of Accidents in Welding. 1 September 1943
Decrees Respecting the Employment of Women and Minors. Dated 19 and 24 August 1943
AUSTRALIA (New South Wales) : Regulation No. 13 respecting Lighting in Factories. Effective 1 September 1943.
Regulations for Securing the Safety of Persons Employed at Circular Saws used for Cutting Firewood or Timber
13
13
13
13
13
F R A N C E : Order concerning Safety Organisation in the Building and Civil Engineering Industries. 1 July 1943.
Decree Respecting Roof Work. 10 August 1943
13
15
.
GERMANY: Provisional Guiding Principles for the Installation of Electrical Equipment in Industrial Premises and
Storeplaces in which there is an Explosion Risk from Acetylene. February 1943
Decree respecting Safety Engineers in Industrial Undertakings
15
16
U N I T E D STATES OF AMERICA: American Standard Safety Code for Cranes, Derricks and Hoists. Approved b y the
American Standards Association, January 1943
National Fire Codes for the Prevention of Dust Explosions, 1943
Minimum Requirements for Safety and Industrial Health in Contract Shipyards
(Oregon) : Safety Code for Construction Work. Effective 1 December 1942
16
17
17
17
Official Reports, Etc.
BRAZIL: Health and Safety Conditions in Gold Mines
18
C A N A D A (British Columbia): Report of t h e Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942
18
(Ontario) : Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942
20
F I N L A N D : Industrial Accident Statistics 1937-1939
20
G R E A T BRITAIN: Annual Report of the Safety in Mines Research Board, 1942
21
N O R W A Y : Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate, 1941
22
P A L E S T I N E : Report of the Department of Labour for 1942
23
S W E D E N : Annual Report of the Industrial Inspectorate for 1941
23
Industrial Accidents in 1940
25
SWITZERLAND: Annual Report of the Swiss National Accident Insurance Institute for 1942
26
Electrical Accidents, 1942
26
U N I T E D STATES OP AMERICA: Accidents and Employment in the Petroleum Industry of the United States during
1942
27
Research on Sub-audible Noises of Rock in Mines and their Use for the Prediction of Rock Bursts
28
Accidents in 1942
28
(Illinois) : Industrial Accidents in 1942
30
(New York) : Annual Report of the Industrial Commissioner, 1942
31
Compensated Accidents in 1942
33
Review of Periodicals
34
R e c e n t Books
38
N e w Posters
40
Published by the INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, 3480 University Street, Montreal, Canada.
INDUSTRIAL
SAFETY
JANUARY-MARCH 1944
MONTREAL
SURVEY
VOL.
XX, No. 1
THE UNIVERSITIES AND SAFETY INSTRUCTION
A Report on Certain Educational Activities in the United States and Canada
By R. B.
MOBLEY,
General Manager, Industrial Accident Prevention Associations, Toronto
INTRODUCTION
Those of us who have been in the accident
prevention movement for years will remember
that every now and then, on the North American
continent at least, someone would suggest that
if the universities would include accident prevention in some of their engineering courses
the results would be highly beneficial to industry. It apparently took the present world
conflict to provide some action, for, in the United
States and Canada, the universities have only
recently opened their doors to training in accident prevention. Because of the writer's more
intimate knowledge of the situation, this article
refers largely to Canada and more specifically
to the four courses in Training in Accident
Prevention conducted at the University of
Toronto, through the Department of University
Extension, beginning in February, 1941, and
ending in December, 1943.
(3)
Checking plans, specifications, contracts
and purchase orders.
(4) Controlling hazards to safety through
design, plant layout and other changes
in environment.
(5) Installing safeguards, providing personal protective equipment and improving operating processes.
(6) Job training and analyses from the standpoint of safety.
(7) General safety promotion including education of employees and the public.
(8) Organising and maintaining interest in
safety programmes.
(9) Securing plant management and labour
co-operation.
In a 96-hour course, or in an even shorter
course, the student can lëarn something of the
investigation of accidents and the analysis of
accident records. He may learn some of the
fundamentals
of the inspection of buildings,
SUPPLY AND DEMAND IN SAFETY EDUCATION
machinery, equipment and property. He canWith the coming of war the demand for men
not learn much of the checking of plans, speciwith some knowledge of accident prevention
fications, contracts and purchase orders and
soon absorbed the available supply, and some
very little of controlling hazards through design,
quick means of equipping individuals with even
plant layout and other changes in environment.
a slight knowledge of accident prevention was
He can learn something of the installation of
an immediate need of many industries, whether
safeguards and the provision of personal proproducing materials for war or for civilian use.
tective equipment. He can learn about job
Men and women bad to be trained in the fundatraining and analyses from the standpoint of
mentals of accident prevention, if the rising
safety. He can gather considerable data regardaccident toll were to be controlled.
ing general safety promotion, the education
The Bureau of Placements of the War Manof employees and the public, and learn somepower Commission, Washington, has described
thing of organising and maintaining interest
the safety engineer as one who "achieves a
in the safety programme. Finally, he may pick
control of unsafe work conditions and practices"
up some information regarding plant managethrough any of the following activities:
ment and labour co-operation.
(1) Investigation of accidents and analysis
As these courses are designed in both Canada
of accident records.
and the United States, the student in any of
(2) Inspection of buildings, machinery, them learns, too, something of fire protection
equipment and property.
and fire prevention, industrial hygiene and the.
2
use of personal protection—which indicates the
value of the courses.
A point which came out in the survey in the
United States undertaken to show why the
universities did not formerly have such courses,
was that industry apparently did not take
enough interest in safety to ask for them. Of
necessity, any university must have students
before a class can be formed, and it is evident
that universities and colleges will teach mechanical, civil or electrical engineering or any
other subject so long as men and women can
subsequently secure work as the result of that
teaching. Young men and women are not likely
to attend courses unless there is some assurance
of a position where this training and education
can be put to work.
Most of the specialised courses in the engineering profession were offshoots from the original
course in engineering, produced by social conditions and by economic needs. They are a
bigger and broader problem than short training
courses in accident prevention, but it seems
reasonable that the engineering schools, the trade
schools and some of the commercial schools
giving courses in business administration should
seriously consider the incorporation of safety
engineering and training in any course of study.
I t is fairly evident that whether it is called
"accident prevention" or by some other name,
every course in engineering must include training in the prevention of accidents even if the
human factor be forgotten.
It would, however, be a mistake to overlook
the human factor in such courses because "human
engineering" is important to any engineer.
The belief is held in some circles that if industry
would select men to take courses in safety
engineering and make any substantial demand
on the colleges and universities, such courses,
running for one or two years, would be established quickly. Technical training is needed
for good safety work and, as a preliminary, a
course might be set up on the basis of one year,
or even some lesser period, for those who had
already been doing industrial safety work, with,
say, one year of post-graduate work. If industrial accident prevention takes the place that
the war has shown it should take, there will be
individuals willing and able to make a life work
Of safety engineering, and they will need a longer
course than a series of successive Monday nights
for nine to twelve weeks or a series of lectures
running to 96 hours.
In considering these courses there may be
two schools of thought on any phase of the
problem. For example, some authorities argue
that no class should be larger in number than
twenty-five to thirty people. The experience at
Toronto and Winnipeg indicates that classes of
over one hundred can be successfully handled.
Another argument is that the complete course
should be given by one and thé same individual
and undoubtedly that has certain distinct
advantages. The Canadian courses given at the
University of Toronto, the University of Western
Ontario, London, Ontario, and the University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, prove that a series of
lectures given by different individuals can produce a mass of worthwhile information and can
interest and instruct successfully a class from
industrial plants in the immediate area, although
some of the students at the University of Toronto
courses travelled forty miles each way to
attend.
UNITED STATES TRAINING SCHEMES
The plan adopted in the United States began
with an analysis of the training needs of the
war industries, followed by the development of
a programme of instruction to meet those needs.
A third point was the location of qualified instructors. Then, fourth, the giving of advice
to management regarding the necessary training in the expectation of securing the proper
type of students for these classes. The fifth
step was to furnish necessary material for training, text material, reference material, etc., and
finally to follow up and assist the students.
The United States Office of Education in cooperation with the United States Department
of Labor recommended an outline of instruction
"to promote safety and conserve manpower by
training men for leadership in safety programmes", which broke the subject down into four
general headings: (1) introduction to industrial
safety; (2) the human side of safety; (3) plant
and equipment safeguards; and (4) the administration of safety programmes. This provided
for a course of two sessions of three hours each
a week for sixteen weeks, plus outside preparation of two hours per week, consisting of assigned
reading or special reports upon safety problems.
This gave a total of sixty-four hours for lectures
and recitations, thirty-two hours for plant
3,
THE UNIVERSITIES AND SAFETY INSTRUCTION
visits or similar work and thirty-two hours for
outside preparation. Much credit must go to
Mr. R. P. BLAKE of the Division of Labor
Standards, Department of Labor at Washington,
for his preparation and compilation of text
material that has become practically a standard
on this continent.
The Division of Labor Standards has prepared
outlines, texts, references, pamphlets and bulletins for these courses, while the United States
Office of Education through its Engineering,
Science, Management War Training Programme
pays costs, with local engineering colleges and
universities sponsoring the courses. In addition
to the short courses, full-time safety training
classes on particular safety problems have been
held for key-men who, in turn, conduct twentyhour safety training classes for foremen in their
own plants.
Under the general direction of the Office of
Education and the Division of Labor Standards
of the Department of Labor and through the
immediate efforts of Lieut.-Col. L. B. TIPTON,
more than 1,500 courses of instruction in accident prevention have been held in the United
States, Most of these were operated on the
basis of ninety-six hours and were designed to
help to fill the gap which industry felt through
the lack of personnel trained in accident prevention required to cope with greatly increased
employment. I t is estimated that by June 1944,
about $5,000,000 will have been expended on
the courses.
I t had been suggested that an industrial undertaking with under 100 workers needs one trained
safety leader; with 100 to 500 workers—a Safety
Director or a Safety Engineer and at least one
Safety Inspector per shift; and for over 500
workers, additional safety leaders on the basis
of one for each thousand men to cover all shifts.
This called for "mass production".
The Division of Labor Standards estimates
that by July 1944 there will be 30,000 graduates
of the "standard basic course" whose subsequent
training in fifteen-hour "Instructor-Training
Conferences" will fit them for teaching the course
for foremen. I t is further estimated that 33,000
classes in certain industrial centres and Navy
and Army establishments will train 625,000
selected foremen, assistant foremen and other
supervisors, and that these, in turn, will instruct
12,500,000 workers in industry and in the Navy
and Army establishments, this last instruction
being done "on the job".
CANADIAN
COURSES
The plan at the University of Toronto was,
first, to interest a group of at least forty to sixty
men and women from industry to the extent
that they would attend a course of lectures in
accident prevention: second, to paint for those
"students" a broad, general picture of accident
prevention and workmen's compensation and
then to depict the intimate details of plant
organisation, plant safeguarding, safety education, etc.
After the first two courses at the University
of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario
undertook to give a course of lectures in London,
and in Sarnia, Ontario. The University of
Manitoba began its first course in the autumn
of 1943 and completed it in February 1944.
The following paragraphs briefly summarise
the principal points made in the Canadian
courses.1
As was noted in a former article 2 there are
eight Workmen's Compensation Boards in
Canada; that is, each one of the provinces,
except Prince Edward Island, has a Workmen's
Compensation Act. In 1943, there were 368,506
accidents reported to the eight Workmen's
Compensation Boards. Of these, 1,255 were
fatal cases. In 1942, there were 373,126 accidents reported, including 1,211 fatal cases, and
in 1941, there were 314,514, including 1,216
fatal. I t has been estimated for the Deputy
Minister of Labour of Canada, that the man
days lost through industrial accidents in Canada
in 1942 would run to a total of slightly over
5,000,000 and, on the same basis, the total man
days lost for 1943 would be close to 4,950,000,
or almost half a working day for every man,
woman and child in Canada. I t is evident,
therefore, that in times of stress, such as the
present, accident prevention can and will return
an excellent dividend to those industries giving
attention to the problem. While an industry
may have to retrain a worker who has been
injured and while he certainly has to be replaced when he has been injured, there is
no break in the continuity of production of the
worker who has avoided accidental injury. I t
has been suggested that " I t takes time to
teach a man how to do a job, but it takes more
time if you don't teach him". Education in
accident prevention, therefore, is common sense.
1
The proceedings of the training courses at the Universities of
Western Ontario and Toronto have now been published.
2 Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 1, p . 1.
4
Link with Compensation Acts.
In Canada, where industrial accident prevention is largely linked with the administration of the Workmen's Compensation Boards,
it is only natural that some discussion on Workmen's Compensation should be the basis of at
least one of the lectures in a course in accident
prevention. This plan has been followed in the
provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. It was
pointed out that the tests of the efficiency of
Workmen's Compensation legislation were first,
general application, second, substantiality of
benefit, third, effectiveness of administration,
and last, the cost to society. The benefits under
the Ontario Act today comprise full and complete medical aid, compensation at two thirds
of the wages, except in cases of very low wages
where 100 per cent, of wages may be paid; lifetime pension for permanently disabled workers;
burial expenses and pensions for dependants in
fatal cases, and artificial appliances and re
habilitation for those needing them.
Since 1915, when The Ontario Workmen's
Compensation Act came into effect, benefits
have steadily increased until they are now over
double what they were at the beginning and the
coverage has been widened by probably 30 per
cent. I t is particularly interesting to note that
this increase in benefits has been accomplished
not with a great increase in the rates charged to
industry, but with a decrease in rates of approximately 25 per cent. Benefits have been
doubled at a lesser cost to industry, and hence
to society, because of the force of accident
prevention and improved medical services.
Although these benefits have accrued not to
the industry but to the workman, the employer
finds that it pays to get behind accident prevention, for some of the savings therefrom
accrue to him in the form of reduced premiums.
Management's
Responsibility.
Management must assume responsibility for
injuries to employees, and while management
may pass this responsibility down through the
line of authority to the superintendent of a
department, this man, nevertheless, represents
management. The assumption of responsibility
for accidents, which was placed on industry by
The Workmen's Compensation Act, places on
industry the responsibility for an effort to control accidental injury. It was explained in the
lectures that this control is achieved in many
plants through Safety Committees consisting
of representatives from several departments;
through a suggestion system with a direct payment to workers for suggestions of practical
merit; through the use of good safety literature
placed on attractive bulletin boards and through
a process of training and education.
The training and education of a new employee
was especially emphasised and it was stated that
at no time was an employee more amenable
to factory regulations than on his or her first
day of work. A good plan of safety instruction
must, therefore, deal with the opening hours
or days of employment. A follow through of this
is achieved in some plants by a "sponsor system"
under which an older employee is responsible
for the general conduct and for the safety of a
new employee for his or her first few days.
Plant inspection brigades, with a regular tour
of duty, say, once a week, have a practical
value and such plant inspection brigades should
include men and women workers where both
sexes are employed.
Many accidents fall under a specific heading,
such as ignorance, lack of training, etc., etc.
Accidents may be traced to insufficient, incomplete or erroneous instructions and, at times,
when a foreman introduces a man to a job or
a machine, there may be some brief or hurried
comment which actually might produce a
certain amount of bewilderment in the mind
of the worker.
One of the lecturers pointed out that "accident
prevention must be continuous and varied—
new methods, new ideas, new stimulation, new
forms of education and continued training of
workers in positive safety habits".
Special emphasis was laid on the necessity
for machine guarding, it being generally understood that if a guard interfered with production,
there was something wrong, with either the
design or the construction of the guard, for production should be higher on a properly guarded
operation.
The Medical
Aspect.
Industrial studies of "fatigue" deal with a
situation which is more marked than weariness
or ordinary fatigue might suggest, although, in
the main, such studies cover a state less extreme
than would be indicated by exhaustion. Laboratory data through animal experiments have
THE UNIVEHSITIES AND SAFETY INSTRUCTION
established that animals exhausted by exercise
or loss of sleep are much more easily killed by
certain types of disease-producing organisms
than are the non-fatigued animals, and from
this it has been inferred that industrial workers
affected by partial exhaustion are less resistant
to infection than when not fatigued. Industrial
fatigue is not occasioned merely by physical
work, but is related to monotony of work, the
interest of the operator in the job, the awkwardness of the motions involved in the operation
and the speed of the machinery operated, as well
as the heaviness of the work being done.
Shift work has been a common expedient for
the purpose of shortening work hours for any
particular group of workers without shortening the working day, and has produced a system
particularly applicable to continuous processes.
In 1942, the Ministry of Labour for Great
Britain authorised four types of shift change:
(1) three shifts of eight hours each, (2) two
shifts of eight hours, (3) day and night shift,
and (4) extended day work. Night shifts have
been condemned as being particularly injurious
to women and young persons.
Occupational Diseases.
Occupational diseases come under two main
classes: first, those caused by absorption of
toxic substances into the body by direct and
indirect exposure, causing skin irritations and
industrial dermatitis; the second covers the
toxic group affecting the main organs, including lungs, heart, abdominal organs and the
blood. Industrial dermatitis makes up 70 per
cent, of all of the occupational diseases reported
in Ontario, and the average lost time for cases
of industrial dermatitis is ten weeks, with an
average medical aid cost alone of $100. Such
cases are usually due to lack of proper handling
of primary irritants.
Ventilation.
Ventilation plays an important part when
any poisonous material is used. Where practical,
local exhaust equipment should be used at all
points where dusts or poisons may escape into
the workroom, and examples of local exhaust
equipment such as the spray booth, hoods,
chrome plating tanks and exhausted grinding
wheels are mentioned. Where local exhaust is
not practical, a general exhaust system is in-
5
dicated, although this usually means that a much
larger volume of air must be handled to control
the hazard, this in turn affecting heating arrangements in colder weather.
Fire Prevention and Control.
When fires occur one of the prime considerations is the safety of the occupants of the building. This is provided by a combination of two
methods, first, building construction to delay
fire; and, second, the provision of ample exit
facilities. It is necessary to remember that it
is practically impossible to make buildings
"fire proof", but comparatively easy to make
buildings "fire resistive". Both the materials
used and the methods of construction are important.
Personal Protection.
"Hard hats", hair protection, safety goggles,
safety belts, hand and arm protection, leg protection, foot protection, safety clothing generally
were described in great detail during the Ontario
courses.
With the growing use of protective clothing
of all types, standardisation has become more
and more important and reached the point
where the purchaser of protective clothing or
equipment may now safely buy such clothing
or equipment on the standards established. It
is important that the individual to whom the
clothing or equipment has been issued understands fully the reason and the necessity for
that protection and is taught how to wear or
to use the protection supplied. This, in turn,
must be followed by supervision to see that the
protection is used as intended.
The word "guard" may be applied to any
form of protection, for example, to an intelligent,
carefully instructed and alert employee, to protective gloves, to safety goggles, to electrical
or mechanical forms of guarding, to protective
clothing, to good housekeeping and to improved
methods of handling material.
T H E FUTURE
The Post-War Planning Subcommittee of the
National Committee for the Conservation of
Manpower in War Industries of the United
States Department of Labor issued a statement in 1943 which read in part:
6
,
The engineering colleges, up to the time of the war,
had given little attention to safety education. Their work
had been distinctly technical and almost wholly concerned
with problems of research, design and production. Work
in the field of safety education had not seemed from this
point of view to have the qualities that entitled it to a
place in the engineering curriculum. The situation has
now become definitely altered. The war has produced a
change in values. Our national objectives have been
largely economic. Today, however, our objectives and our
resources are measured not in material terms but in terms
of life. It is not merely our possessions that are at stake,
but life itself, and life has become our most important
asset. This is a wartime point of view, but this change in
values goes further and deeper than the war itself and is
already expressing itself in post-war planning, in, for instance, the increased attention that is being given to economic security and to the problem of human adjustment in
the post-war period.
This change in values and a concurrent recognition of
the magnitude of the drain that was being produced upon
our wartime resources because of accidents has had the
effect of directing attention to the safety problem, and
this has expressed itself in a broader and deeper consideration of the problem of safety in many ways. The result
has been a very general feeling that the subject both on
its own account and because of its intimate relationship
with efficiency and industrial management, is something
that the engineering colleges cannot afford ever to neglect.
It has become clear that it has a technical content and a
significance in terms of end objectives that entitle it to a
place in the engineering curriculum.1
In a foreword to the proceedings of the 1942
training course, Dr. W. J. DUNLOP, Director
of University Extension, University of Toronto,
said that the course in accident prevention had
become an established feature and it was appropriate that men and women interested in
accident prevention should take lectures in the
University. He pointed out that the practice
and principles of accident prevention were becoming an exact science and as such these
principles and their practice were naturally
within the sphere of the University's activities.
He said "The students in this course have
learned something from the University and the
University has learned something from them.
Permit me to express my appreciation of the
1
Safety Engineering Education in the Colleges, U. S. Department of
Labor, Division of Labor Standards, Washington.
good work done by the students and to express
the hope that the study of accident prevention,
which is so important in the preservation of
human life, will become more and more important as the years go on."
CONCLUSIONS
Based on Canadian experience the following
are offered as my conclusions:
(1) Practical results to industry can be
secured through the inclusion of instruction in
accident prevention through the universities.
(2) Selected individuals can be given a short
course in accident prevention, in co-operation
with the universities, to the benefit of the universities as well as the students and the industries from which those students are drawn.
(3) It is essential that committees consisting
of industrialists with a knowledge of what industry wants work in close co-operation with
the university giving the course.
(4) It is desirable to award some form of
certificate for attendance at such classes.
(5) The basic common sense of accident prevention and its relationship to good work, to
production and to health has been overlooked
for too long and new methods of education in
accident prevention may reasonably improve
the technique of the work to the great benefit
of industrial workers.
(6) There are still two schools of thought:
(a) that a separate course in accident prevention
is necessary and, (b) that the idea of accident
prevention (or safe production) may readily
and properly be incorporated in courses in
engineering, chemistry, business administration, etc.
(7) Industrialists and the universities together
might well explore the whole field, looking to
closer co-operation on this very human question
of industrial accident prevention—for the idea
of accident prevention is sound whether viewed
in the field of economics or from the purely
humanitarian side.
ALUMINIUM
DUST AS A C A U S E O F P N E U M O C O N I O S I S
7
ALUMINIUM DUST AS A CAUSE OF PNEUMOCONIOSIS
By Dr. Ludwig
TELEKY,
It will be convenient first to mention some
differences of nomenclature in different countries: Al, the metal, is called aluminium in
England and Germany and aluminum in America. A1203 is called "Tonerde" or "Tonsubstanz"
in Germany; in England it is usually called
alumina, but sometimes argillaceous earth; and
in America it is always called alumina. There
is sometimes confusion between aluminium and
alumina. Both substances have given rise to
much discussion, and some of the points at
issue are referred to below.
One question was whether aluminium (Al)
is a poison, and another arose from the injuries
by light-metal splinters. I t is now established
that it is the magnesium content, small though
it may be, which causes the characteristic injuries. Pure aluminium never causes them.
Some early German authors ( M E R K E L 1875,
GOTTSCHALK 1908) have reported on "Aluminosis", a pneumoconiosis attributed by them
to "Alumina" but actually due to clay, which
is a mixture of hydrous aluminium-silicates
with various minerals, among them Si02j for
instance Al 2 03.2H 2 0-|-Si0 2 -|-K 2 C03 with which,
as a rule, sand, Si02, is admixed in a larger
amount. EULENBERG as early as 1876 stressed
that it is not so much A1203 as Si0 2 which causes
the illness, and English authors (ARLIDGE 1892)
were of the same opinion. Later the effect of
the combination of clay and sand was discussed
by some English authors {e.g., MIDDLETON 1923).
The Industrial Pulmonary Disease Committee of the British Medical Research Council
published in December 1936 a "Report on
Clinical and Radiological Examination of Workers Exposed to Alumina Dust". 1 The 50 workers
who were examined had been exposed for some
years to a very fine dust of nearly pure alumina
(AUO3) containing small proportions only of
aluminium, sodium fluorides, sodium oxides
and cryolite. The dust content of the air was
400-2400 fine particles per ccm, mostly over
1,000. The conclusion mentioned that "The
Committee was unable to find. . . any evidence
' Lancet, 1936, I I , p. 1478.
New York, N.Y.
that the inhalation of alumina dust has caused
fibrosis of the lungs".
All the authors cited above have reported
on the effect of AI2O3 or its compounds.
It may be mentioned also that corundum is
pure alumina, and that emery is a variety of
corundum, containing more or less magnetite
or hematite. But it would lead us too far here
to discuss these substances, which, whether
naturally or artificially produced, are widely
used as abrasives. They cause slight degrees of
lung fibrosis after long exposure.
The first author to report on the dust of
metallic aluminium seems to have been F I L I P O
of the Clinic for Throat, Nose and Ear Diseases
in Rome, who wrote a paper entitled "The Influence of Aluminium Powder on the Respiratory Passages". 1 I t seems that the 100 workers
examined were exposed mostly to dust of metallic aluminium, and to a small extent only to
emery, lime dust and nitric acid fumes. ' Some
of the aluminium dust may be affected by
the use of fat in grinding. The author has
found men with inflammation of the mucous
membranes of the nose, pharynx, and larynx,
but the effects on the lungs—except some
clear tuberculous changes—are slight: enlarged
hilus glands and slightly "more fibrosis than
usual".
KOELSCH and L E DERER2 examined 100 workers
engaged in the production of metal-dyes, i.e.,
Cu, Al, and other metals converted to powder
by crushing. The dust content of the air was
not high: in Al-powder production mostly below
100 particles per ccm of air and only in one case
about 325 particles. Large quantities of dust
must be avoided, because of the danger of explosion. A considerable number of the dust
particles (1/5 up to 4/5) had a diameter of over
5M and were therefore too large to reach the
alveoli of the lungs and to cause pneumoconiosis.
Most of the workers examined had worked over
10 years and some up to 50 years. There was
no pneumoconiosis.
1
Rassegna di Medicina applicata del lavoro, 1934.
l Archiv f. Cewerbepathologie, Vol. 5, p. 108, 1934.
8
M. D O E S E 1 reports a very remarkable case.
A man working as a spray painter used daily
5-10 kg aluminium-bronze powder, i.e., fine
aluminium powder. He mixed it with a varnish
and turpentine and sprayed it. After working
25 weeks he fell ill with coughing and shortness
of breath. After a very thorough examination
a pneumoconiosis was found to exist.
The same author has also examined three
workers employed on aluminium spray painting,
five on aluminium grinding, two on aluminium
turning, four on the production of aluminium
powder, and two on mixing this powder with
oil and iron oxide. None of these workers was
exposed to a considerable amount of dust, and
in none could a pneumoconiosis be found. It
may be mentioned that in crushing aluminium,
lubricants are added: suet, stearin, olive oil,
etc. Seventy other workers examined did not
have to handle aluminium as such but had to
extract it from bauxite,' containing more than
50 per cent. A1203.
0 . EHRISMANN 2 could not find any injury by
inhalation of aluminium dust in animal experiments performed many years ago.
G. GORALEWSKI 3 published particulars of two
cases of lung diseases in aluminium workers,
the one employed on fine crushing and sifting
aluminium powder, the other on mixing it. The
first man worked for four years, the second
sixteen years. Both fell suddenly ill with spontaneous pneumothorax. In X-ray pictures of the
lungs both showed small and medium-sized
shadows; for both sedimentation time was
normal. Both cases were under observation for
several months, and on re-examination some
months later, neither symptoms of tuberculosis
nor objective signs of progression could be found,
but the dyspnoea increased. This seems to
suggest as diagnosis, pneumoconiosis caused by
aluminium.
Experiments on two rabbits which had to
inhale air saturated with aluminium powder
for 1-2 hours daily over a period of 20 and 40
days respectively showed extensive interstitial
pneumonia—but only experiments with chronic
inhalation of smaller amounts would be of
value.
The same author published in 19414 four
case histories, includingl.be two reported above.
The third case was detected in a group ex1
Archiv}. Gewerbepathologie. Vol. 8. p. 501, 1938.
* Zeitschr.j. Hygiene. Vol. 122, p. 166, 1939.
» Archiv f. Gewerbepalhotogie, Vol. 9, p. 676, 1939.
'Idem. Vol. 11, p. 108, 1941.
amination. After three years' work this man
suffered from coughing and dyspnoea, and
showed reticular shadows; half a year later he
had small granular shadows, developed spontaneous pneumothorax and died.
The fourth patient showed tuberculous
changes and "reticular veiling" after 1}4
year's work.
GORALEWSKI writes: "The X-ray pictures
show characteristic changes, which if strongly
marked and well developed are similar to silicosis". There are X-ray pictures of every patient
in the publications, but unfortunately neither
the pictures nor the descriptions give a clear
idea of the lung changes. GORALEWSKI says
that these case histories together with the as
yet unpublished anatomical findings and the
publications quoted below, prove that aluminium
lung is a specific illness.
A paper by GORALEWSKI issued between the
two papers mentioned above, is not available,
but it does not seem to be important. A paper
on pathology which is said to have appeared
in the Frankfurter Zeitschrift für Pathologie in
1941, is also not available in New York.
In "Remarks on Clinic, Pathology and Pathogenesis of Aluminium Lung" GORALEWSKI together with R. JAEGER 1 offers an explanation of
the fact that injuries caused by aluminium dust
could not be found by older examiners but can
be found now. The crushing of aluminium is
performed nowadays to a much higher degree
of fineness than in the past, and the production
of dust is greater. Today no fat is added, and
therefore the protecting film of fat, which hinders
the formation of aluminium hydroxide is no
longer present. R. and F. JAEGER show in
another article2 that aluminium oxides form
irreversible compounds with the albumen of the
tissue and so destroy the vital functions of the
cells. The process continues, and this explains
the often rapid progress of the changes in the
lungs following upon aluminium inhalation.
There is a very recent paper by L. H. COTTER:
"A case of bronchial asthma due to aluminium
dust". 3 This is concerned with a man who
worked in an aeroplane factory boring holes in
aluminium plates. He found the aluminium dust
irritating and developed asthma and eczema of
the hands, arms and eyelids after a period of
nine months. Four months after his last exposure
1
Archiv/. Gewerbepathologie, Vol. 11, p. 102, 1941.
* Idem., p. 117, 1941.
3
Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, Vol. 25, p. 421, Nov.
ALUMINIUM DUST AS A CAUSE OF PNEUMOCONIOSIS
he was entirely free from asthma, but when
taken into a small room which had been sprayed
with aluminium dust, previously washed in
methyl alcohol and ethyl ether, he developed
an acute attack of bronchial asthma. In this
case it is possible that the aluminium sheets had
been painted with zinc Chromate, as is very
usual. Skin diseases due to aluminium have not
been described up to now.
To make the report complete, we mention the
animal experiments by POLICARD. 1 This author
made eleven white rats inhale aluminium dust
10 times an hour. He says that the experiments
covered too short a time to allow of conclusions
—and that is true—but he finds that aluminium
dust is as inert as coal dust.
F. BELT and E. J. KING in an article entitled
"Failure of Aluminium to Prevent Experimental
Silicosis"2 also report about animal experiments
with aluminium alone. They injected a suspension of finely powdered aluminium (mostly about
Iß) by means of a syringe into the trachea.
The aluminium provoked in the terminal bronchioles an extensive foreign body reaction, but
the lung tissue beyond seemed relatively unaffected. I t seems that this method of injection
failed to bring the aluminium powder into the
alveoli and therefore the results are not conclusive for our question: pneumoconiosis caused
by aluminium.
Summarising we may say that fine aluminium
dust—finer than that produced decades ago and
not protected by fat, as it was then—seems to
be able to cause a pneumoconiosis, which differs
in some respects {spontaneous pneumothorax) from
other pneumoconioses. These changes develop
after exposure of a few to many years, but if
they become progressive they may become
worse in a relatively short time.
However,
further experience is necessary to confirm this
opinion.
1
Comptes rendus des séances de la Société de Biologie, Vol. 135, p. 916,
1941.
2
Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology, Vol. 55, p. 69, 1943.
0
I t is scarcely possible to end a paper on the effect of aluminium on the lungs without mentioning the view of some Canadian investigators
that by adding a small amount of aluminium
dust (1 per cent.) to silica dust, the bad effect
of the latter may be diminished or even destroyed. They also think that inhalation of
aluminium dust improves silicotic lungs. Their
views are not yet confirmed, but the bibliography
of their publications may be added here:
"The Prevention of Silicosis b y Metallic Aluminium",
b y J. J. D E N N Y , W . D . ° R O B S O N and D . A. I R W I N in Cana-
dian Med. Assoc. Journal, Vol. 37, pp. 1-11, July 1937.
"The Prevention of Silicosis b y Metallic Aluminium",
b y J. J. D E N N Y , W. D . ROBSON and D . A. I K W I N in Cana-
dian Med. Assoc. Journal, Vol. 40, pp. 213-228, Mar. 1939;
see also The Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology,
1939, No. 6, p. 143.
"Method of Neutralizing t h e Condition Producing
Qualities of Finely Pulverized Silicious Material", by J. J.
D E N N Y , W. D . ROBSON, U.S. P a t e n t 2,156,378, M a y 1939.
"Aluminium and Silicosis", by R. C. EMMONS and C.
F R I E S in Am. Mineralogist, Vol. 23, p p . 654-660 (1938);
see also The Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology,
1939, No. 6, p. 145.
"Effect of Aluminium on Solution of Mine Dust", by
S. R. ROBSON in Bull. Inst. Mining and Metallurgy, 1939,
No. 415, p . 4; Discussion in No. 416, pp. 17-27.
"Arrêt p a r l'aluminium métal de Paction nocive des
poussières de silice sur le tissu conjonctif", b y POLICARD
et ROLLET in Comptes rendus de la Société de Biologie de
Paris, Vol. 132, pp. 190-192, 1939.
JÖTTEN: "Zur Frage der Verhütung von Silikose durch
metallisches Aluminium", in Arbeitsschutz, p . 252, 1940.
"Identification of Aluminium Hydrate Films of Importance in Silicosis Prevention, b y L. H . GERMES and K. H .
STORKS in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Analytical Edition, Vol. 7, pp. 583-592, 1939.
"Experimental Study of Inhibitory Effects of Aluminium
•Compounds in Silicosis", by L. U . GARDNER and others,
in Bull. Amer. Cer. Soc., Vol. 20, p . 281, Aug. 1941.
"Further Studies of Aluminium Powder in Treatment
of Silicosis", by J. L. BLAISDELL. 7th Meeting of Industrial
Hygiene Foundation, Pittsburgh, 10 Nov. 1942.
" T h e Treatment of Silicosis by Metallic Aluminium
Powder", by D r . J. L. BLAISDELL. Paper read before the
Academy of Medicine, Toronto, 25 Feb. 1943.
10
SAFETY INSTITUTIONS, ASSOCIATIONS AND MUSEUMS
AUSTRALIA
CHILE
New S o u t h Wales
ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATE ACCIDENT
COURSE IN INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE AND SAFETY 1
PRE-
VENTION COMMITTEE 1
The report of the Workers' Compensation
Commission of New South Wales for the year
ended 30 June, 1942, disclosed that the loss
caused to industry through accidents was
equivalent to 700,000 man weeks for the previous twelve months. The report also showed
that the percentage both of male and female
workers who received injuries was steadily increasing.
Since accident prevention is a statutory function of the Factory Welfare Board pursuant to
Section 36 C of the Factories and Shops Act,
1912-1943, the Minister called for a report from
the Board as to what action should be taken to
prevent a further increase. The Board recommended that a conference of representatives of
industry be called to consider the adoption of
the following recommendations:
(a) Appoint qualified safety officer or officers or otherwise centralise authority and responsibility for accident prevention, etc., in one responsible person.
(6) Establish safety committees representative of management and employees.
That in order to be successful it is essential that the
attitude of management towards safety must be so sincere, so persistent and so vital that the quality of accident prevention efforts will be maintained at as high a
level as every other activity of the business organisation.
This will be evidenced by full appreciation and acceptance of responsibility for planning and implementing
accident prevention, etc.
That it be a recommendation to unions to more
closely co-operate with management in the establishment of safety working practice.
This conference was duly held and a standing committee of those present was established
to provide continuity of action for accident
prevention. The committee will primarily be an
advisory and organising committee to suggest
ways and means for ensuring accident prevention, and its recommendations will be published
from time to time.
1
The Employers' Review (Sydney), 30 Sept. 1943, p. 6.
The Industrial Hygiene Division of the Department of Health recently organised a course
in industrial hygiene and safety, which was
attended by provincial health officers and labour
inspectors.
The programme of the course included six main
subjects, namely: technical aspects of industrial
hygiene and safety; practical demonstrations;
legal aspects and administrative methods; the
registers of inspection; and practical inspection
methods.
The first part of the course consisted of lectures on industrial hygiene, safety in mines,
occupational diseases, and industrial hygiene
legislation, the latter part being devoted to the
study of practical inspection methods for various
industries.
Among the subjects discussed under the industrial safety group were: prevention of accidents in factories; effects of dust in the atmosphere; safeguarding of machinery; factory lighting, toxic fumes and liquids; protection of belts
and pulleys; and steam boilers and pressure
vessels.
SWEDEN
WORKERS
PROTECTION
ASSOCIATION
Report for 19/fl2
During the year 4,959 visitors registered
their names at the permanent safety exhibition;
the total number of visitors was much larger.
In the exhibition premises 97 lectures were given
on industrial safety and hygiene to medical
officers, technical students and pupils of high
schools, apprentices' schools, and trade schools
in Stockholm and neighbouring parts of the
country, and also to members of workmen's
clubs, study circles, the armed forces, etc. In
all, 1,887 persons attended the lectures, a few
coming from foreign countries.
1
2
Communication to the I.L.O.
Arbetarskyddet. No. 5, 1943, p. 135. For 1941, see Industrial Safely
Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 2, p. 68.
11
For its travelling exhibitions the Association
prepared a display of safety devices for hoists,
cranes and other lifting equipment. Another
display, the sixth in the series, demonstrated
safety arrangements for dangerous woodworking machinery such as circular saws and spindle
moulding machines. Still another display was
being planned to illustrate industrial safety
measures in the use of steam boilers and other
vessels under pressure.
The collection of lantern slides was increased
and much use was made of it for lecture purposes. There was a lively demand for the Association's posters, publications and other material.
The secretariat continued to reply to large
numbers of requests for information on a variety
of safety matters. Material was again lent to a
number of exhibitions in connection with safety
weeks, etc.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AMERICAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION
Silver Jubilee
On 10 December 1943 the American Standards
Association celebrated its 25th anniversary. In
the course of a quarter of a century, the Association has made a notable contribution to industrial safety by issuing numerous carefully prepared and authoritative standards designed to
eliminate risks in undertakings and equipment
over a wide range of mining, transportation,
manufacturing, and other industries.
These
standards are known throughout the civilised
world and the International Labour Office is
glad to take this opportunity of acknowledging
its indebtedness to their sponsors and authors.
The Silver Jubilee year sees the Association
busier than ever, largely owing to war conditions. The wide range of its activities is indicated by the variety of the latest standards,
completed or in preparation—over 20 for radio
equipment, nine for safety shoes, seven on
toxic dusts and gases, and several others for
women's industrial clothing, photographic equipment, etc.
Special mention may be made of the revision
of the Abrasive Wheel Safety Code and the
completion of a substantial new Code for cranes,
derricks and hoists.
It is most interesting to read that the Association is participating in the formation of an Interallied Standards Organisation, which, it is to
be hoped, will make an appreciable international
contribution to the prevention of industrial
accidents.
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR
Resolution to Establish a Safety
Organisation1
At its 63rd Annual Convention in Boston,
October 1943, the Federation adopted the following important resolution:
Whereas, in the United States unnecessary accidents
and fires have increased tremendously in both frequency
and severity, costing this nation the lives of many thousands
of men, millions of man-hours lost time and billions of dollars worth of materials at the most critical time in this
nation's history, and
Whereas, the President of the United States has specifically requested, that we lend our complete support to an
organised effort to reduce and, if possible, to eliminate
all unsafe acts and unsafe conditions, and
Whereas, the American Federation of Labor finds
itself in a position to further the war effort by full cooperation with the President of the United States, other
executives of government, and the armed forces of this
nation, therefore, be it
Resolved that safety shall be accorded the complete
militant support of every officer and every member of the
American Federation of Labor during the forthcoming
year. That no effort or expense shall be spared in promotion of accident and fire prevention until deaths and injuries occurring in homes, traffic, public and industrial
accidents shall be reduced to the point of elimination,
and be it further
Resolved that a safety organisation shall be created
within the American Federation of Labor, under the direction of the Executive Council and that adequate safety,
engineering and consultant services shall be immediately
employed to assist in the formulation and direction of the
Federation's Safety Program.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE W A R PRODUCTION BOARD AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
IN ACCIDENT PREVENTION WORK
According to a press release of 26 January
1944, the War Production Board and the Department of Labor have agreed to pool their
resources in the campaign against industrial
accidents.
Under the agreement, the functions of the
Industrial Health and Safety Section of the
War Production Board Labor Production Office
are denned as follows:
Receive reports, suggestions, and complaints dealing with the industrial hygiene
and safety of war workers.
1
Report of the Proceedings of the Sixty-third Annual Convention of the
American Federation of Labor held at Boston, Massachusetts, October 4
to 14 inclusive 1943, p. 528.
12
Act as a central clearing house in the War
Production Board to check and refer the
above data for remedial action by the proper
Federal agencies operating in the field of
health and safety.
See that the labour unions, management
and labour-management committees avail
themselves of educational material on health
and safety in general or in relation to particular industries.
Work with Government agencies and with
labour and management to ensure that local
labour and management representatives cooperate with Federal and State agencies in
developing and executing remedial health and
safety programmes in designated critical war
industry areas.
The Safety and Health Branch of the Division
of Labor Standards of the Department of Labor
will:
Co-operate with management, labour, State
Labour Departments, the American Standards
Association, and other safety agencies in
drafting safety codes and regulations.
Analyse and serve as a central clearing
house for information on safety laws and
regulations and their administration.
Prepare and publish pamphlets, leaflets,
and posters on industrial safety and health.
In co-operation with the U.S. Office of
Education, conduct training courses for super-
visory personnel and for safety representatives of unions.
The agreement is described as a further step
in the comprehensive anti-accident campaign
launched recently by the War Production Board
in co-operation with various Federal agencies,
labour unions, industrial groups and other
private organisations, including the American
Federation of Labor, the Congress of Industrial
Organizations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
the National Association of Manufacturers and
the National Safety Council.
Ohio
FOURTEENTH ALL-OHIO SAFETY
APRIL
CONGRESS,
19431
The Congress discussed a very large number
of papers on both safety problems in separate
industries and on general topics such as employee publications, eye conservation, first aid,
fire prevention, occupational diseases, safety
supervision, safe tools, safety education, propaganda, road safety, and works safety organisation. The Congress was larger than usual and
its proceedings fill over 550 closely printed pages
—an indication of the amount of work that is
being done for the promotion of safety in Ohio.
It is unfortunate that space does not permit
of any detailed review of these very instructive
discussions.
1
Proceedings of Fourteenth All-Ohio Safety Congress, Industrial Commission of Ohio, 1943.
L A W S A N D REGULATIONS, SAFETY CODES
13
LAWS AND REGULATIONS, SAFETY CODES
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
REGULATIONS RESPECTING THE INSPECTION AND
TESTING OF BOILERS AND LOCOMOTIVES 1
Under these Regulations, boilers and pressure
vessels must be inspected, both internally and
externally, and be subjected to a hydraulic test,
once every three years.
Locomotives and other vehicles must also
be inspected periodically to ensure their safe
operation.
D E C R E E ( N O . 7134) RESPECTING PREVENTION
2
OF ACCIDENTS IN WELDING. 1 SEPTEMBER 1943
New S o u t h Wales
REGULATION N O . 13 RESPECTING LIGHTING IN
FACTORIES. EFFECTIVE 1 SEPTEMBER 19431
This Regulation, replacing No. 13 under the
Factories and Shops Act 1912-1943, requires
that effective provision be made for securing
sufficient and adequate natural or artificial
lighting in all parts of a factory in which persons
are working or passing.
Provisions are also made for the protection
of workers from hazards caused by light reflection and for the elimination of risks caused by
the formation of shadows.
This Decree lays down rules for the prevention
of accidents in premises where electric or gas REGULATIONS FOR SECURING THE SAFETY OF
welding apparatus is employed. The premises PERSONS EMPLOYED AT CIRCULAR SAWS U S E D
FOR CUTTING FIREWOOD OR TIMBER 2
must be dry, well lighted, • and well ventilated
so as to ensure removal of gases, fumes, and
These Regulations, effective as from 1 Septemvapours. Workers must be provided with and ber 1943, outline the duties of occupiers of
use shields, gloves and helmets conforming to factories where circular saws are used for cutting
specified requirements.
firewood or timber, with respect to the safe
operation of the saws and the proper maintenD E C R E E S RESPECTING THE EMPLOYMENT OF ance of installations and equipment pertaining
thereto.
WOMEN AND MINORS.
D A T E D 19 AND
24 AUGUST 1943
A Decree of 19 August 1943 (No. 3,517)3
contains a supplementary list of dangerous and
unhealthy industries in which the employment
of women and minors under the age of 18 is
prohibited; and a further Decree of 24 August
1943 (No. 6,289)4 prohibits the employment of
boys of 14 years of age and over in occupations
dangerous to their health or morality.
Both these Decrees have been issued under
the Act (No. 11,317) of 30 September 1924 on
the employment of women and children. 6
1
a
Boletin Oficial de la Repûblica Argentina. 21 July 1943, p. 8.
Boletin Informativ/) de Legislation Argentina, No. 26, 5 Oct. 1943,
p. 16.
» Idem. No. 27, 12 Oct. 1943, p. 26.
< Idem, No. 24, 16 Sept. 1943, p. 16. The full text will be published
in the Legislative Series of the International Labour Office as Arg. 1,
1943.
1
INTSRNATIONAI, LABOUR OÏFICS: Legislative Series, 1924, Aig. 1.
FRANCE
ORDER CONCERNING SAFETY ORGANISATION IN
THE BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
3
INDUSTRIES. 1 JULY 1943
Following on the Decree of 4 August 19414,
amended by the Decree of 1 December 19425,
the Ministry of Labour has issued an Order for
the provisional establishment of a safety organisation (organisme professionnel de sécurité) in
the building and civil engineering industries.
Under Section 1, the employers in these industries are generally bound to belong to the,
> New South Wales Government Gazette. No. 96, 1943, p. 1507.
*s Ibid., p. 1506.
Journal officiel de l'Etat français, 22 July 1943, p. 1940.
< See Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XVIII, No. 1, p. 20.
> See idem. Vol. XIX, No. 3, p. 108.
14
organisation and to pay the prescribed fees, but
the Secretary of State for Labour may allow
large undertakings to remain subject to the
general rules relating to safety committees. The
safety committees of individual undertakings
must work in contact with the new safety organisation from which they will receive directives
and to which they will report on their activities.
The provisions of the Order as regards the structure and operation of the new organisation are
as follows:
Organisation
2. The safety organisation shall consist of a National
Committee and Regional Committees.
3. The National Committee shall have its headquarters
at Paris. It shall comprise two representatives of the
employers, two representatives of the engineers, managerial staff, foremen and works foremen, and two representatives of the workers, appointed by the Secretary of
State for Labour. One of the employers' representatives
shall be appointed on the proposal of the organising committee for the building and civil engineering industries.
The other member shall be appointed on the proposal of
the provisional commission for the organisation of the
occupational family of the building and civil engineering
industries (commission provisoire d'organisation de la
famille professionelle du bâtiment et des travaux publics),
instituted under Section 77 of the Act of 4 October 1941.1
The appointments so made may be cancelled on the request
of, or after consultation with, the nominating organisation.
The Committee shall further include two persons who
are particularly competent in the matter of safety in the
building and civil engineering industries, and a doctor
nominated by the Secretary of State for Labour.
The Secretary of State for Labour shall appoint a representative to follow the activities of the National Committee.
In each region corresponding to the territorial jurisdiction of a paid holiday institute for the building industry
(caisse de congés payés du bâtiment), a Regional Safety Committee shall be established consisting of two representatives of each of the three occupational classes referred
to above.
The members of the Committee shall be appointed by
the regional prefect after consultation with the divisional
labour inspector (inspecteur divisionnaire du travail et de la
main d'oeuvre).
One of the employers' representatives shall be appointed
on the proposal of the organisation committee for the
building and civil engineering industries. The other member shall be appointed on the proposal of the regional subcommission for provisional organisation (sous-commission
régionale d'organisation provisoire) or, if this has not been
established, on the proposal of the commission mentioned
above. The appointments thus made may be cancelled
at the request of, or after consultation with, the nominating
organisation. '
If the region does not coincide with the territorial jurisdiction of the regional prefecture, the Secretary of State
1
See Legislative Series. 1941, Fr. 7.
for Labour shall designate the regional prefecture to which
the Committee is attached.
The Regional Safety Committee shall further include
a medical adviser appointed by the National Committee.
The Divisional Inspector of Labour, or, in default, an
inspector appointed by him, shall follow the activities of
the Regional Committee.
5. The representatives of the occupational classes required to participate in safety committees, shall be selected from persons who have, for at least five years, followed an occupation or trade connected with the building
and civil engineering industries, or from those who, for at
least 10 years, had followed such an occupation or trade,
and have not ceased to follow it for more than two years.
They shall be entitled to fees fixed according to the rules
established under the internal regulations provided for in
the following Section.
6. The National Committee and the Regional Committees shall engage the requisite staff for their activities.
For the Regional Committees this staff shall include in
particular, the safety delegates who are specially responsible for visiting undertakings and works under construction. These delegates shall be selected from the management, managerial staff, or the foremen and workers, who
can prove employment for at least five years in an occupation or trade in the building and civil engineering industries.
They shall be appointed by the National Committee
on the proposal of the Regional Committee in whose jurisdiction they will be required to carry on their activities.
7. The National Committee and the Regional Committees shall draw up internal regulations which shall
serve to establish the rules governing their activities.
These internal regulations shall be submitted for approval
to the Secretary of State for Labour and they shall not be
altered without his consent.
Technical
Activities
8. For the undertakings and constructional works of the
industries mentioned in Section 1, the National Committee and the Regional Committees shall, in the manner
defined below, perform the various duties assigned to the
safety committees by the Decree of 4 August 1941.
9. The National Committee shall instigate, co-ordinate,
and supervise, the activities of the Regional Committees,
to which it shall communicate, within the framework of
the laws and regulations relating to industrial safety, all
useful instructions.
It shall compile for the use of the Regional Committees,
documentation calculated to contribute to the development of safety, and shall have studied by its services
the various problems arising out of the activities proposed,
with a view to such development.
It shall propose to the public authorities all amendments to the regulations in force that experience has shown
to be useful.
In particular, the following shall be within the competence of the National Committee:
Relations with public or private organisations interested
in questions of industrial safety; compilation of statistics
and documentation, propaganda, investigation of the
technical causes of industrial accidents, and the modification of industrial processes or working methods calculated
15
to reduce their importance; questions relating to the influence on safety of the state of the workers and, in particular, investigation of measures relating to the human
factor and calculated to reduce the frequency or severity
of accidents by basing the selection of staff on the aptitude
required for the various kinds of work.
10. The Regional Committee shall be more particularly
responsible for activities with a view to safety at the workplaces themselves. In the region assigned to it, these activities, which shall be carried out more particularly through
safety delegates, shall include, inter alia :
(1) Regular visits to undertakings or works under construction for the purpose of verifying the material, supervising the enforcement of laws, regulations and working
rules or instructions appropriate to the undertaking or
work under construction, explaining and commenting on
the regulations, and undertaking verbal propaganda
among the employers, managerial staff, and workers;
(2) Enquiries into serious accidents or cases of occupational diseases, or on the occasion of any accident or happening bearing on safety, and that the Regional Committee considers it useful to elucidate;
(3) All forms of educational activity calculated to
develop safety-mindedness among the employers and the
workers and, in particular, among the apprentices.
The Regional Committee shall maintain constant contact with the Central Committee (comité central) to which
it shall report on its activities and communicate all useful
information. I t shall also supply the Labour Inspectorate
with information t h a t the Inspectorate may have occasion
to require under the regulations in force.
11. T h e members of the National Committee and the
investigators t h a t this Committee may appoint shall have
the right of entry to all undertakings or works under construction in the industries mentioned in Section 1 of the
present Order. This shall also apply to the members of the
Regional Committees and the investigators of these Committees in so far as concerns the undertakings or works
under construction within the region concerned.
12. Heads of undertakings, directors, managers, or
officials acting for them shall have the following obligations:
(1) To facilitate the task of the safety organisation
more especially as regards entry to undertakings or works
under construction, inspection of them, and the conduct
of investigations;
(2) To appoint in each undertaking or work under construction a named person to be in charge of safety questions.
In order to encourage the creation, in undertakings or
works under construction, of safety institutions having an
organisation based on the rules laid down in the Decree
of 4 August 1941, and working in contact with the Regional
Committee, from which they will receive directives and
to which they will report on their activities, the National
Committee may, on the proposal of the Regional Committee, refund to the heads of undertakings concerned, a
part of the fee due under Section 13 below. The amount
of the refund shall be fixed with due regard to the extent
t h a t such organisation lightens the work of the Regional
Safety Committee;
(3) To keep a register of industrial accidents and, if
need be, of occupational diseases;
(4) To report to the National Safety Committee every
industrial accident and every case of industrial disease,
the report to be made within 24 hours in the case of fatal
accidents and accidents likely to result in permanent incapacity, and in the form of a monthly statement in other
cases.
Sections 13-16 deal with the finances of the
safety organisation and, in particular, the fees
due from heads of undertakings. The date on
which the new safety organisation would come
into existence was to be fixed by an Order of
the Secretary of State for Labour.
D E C R E E RESPECTING ROOF WORK.
10
AUGUST
19431
Decree No. 2,206 of 10 August 1943 amends
subsection 3 of the Decree of 9 August 1925
respecting health and safety in the building and
civil engineering industries 2 as follows :
Workers employed on roofs of fragile or weak materials
(such as glass panes, composition sheets with a cement
base, etc.) shall work on scaffolding, platforms, planks
or ladders, such that they do not have to rest their weighton these materials.
The equipment thus interposed between the workers
and the roof shall cover an extent of roof comprising two
or more sections of roof timbers including one at each end
of the equipment.
The equipment shall be so installed as to prevent any
tipping.
GERMANY
PROVISIONAL GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE
INSTALLATION OF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT IN
INDUSTRIAL PREMISES AND STOREPLACES IN
WHICH THERE IS AN EXPLOSION RLSK FROM
3
ACETYLENE.
FEBRUARY 1943
The raison d'être of these principles is explained in a circular addressed by the Reich
Minister of Economic Affairs to regional authorities. He remarks that in the course of time the
progressive development of acetylene apparatus
has made it increasingly necessary to bring
electrical equipment into places where there is
a risk of an acetylene explosion.
However, manufacturers, users, and supervisory authorities alike have largely failed to
grasp the precautions required to protect such
equipment against the risk of explosion; and as
1
2
Journal officiel de l'Etal français, J Oct. 1943, p. 2571.
See Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. I, p. 140; and Legislative Series,
1923,
Fr. 10.
1
Arbeitsschutz, No. 5, 15 May 1943, p. I l l 137. The texts of the
German regulations relating to the manufacture and use of acetylene
are given in Safety in the Manufacture and Use of Acetylene, International Lflbpur Office, Studies and Reports, Series F (2) No. 5, Geneva,
1931,
16
a matter of fact, flame-proof construction under
the existing regulations has often offered no
sufficient security against an acetylene-air mixture. Accordingly new regulations are necessary, but as they will require a long time to
elaborate, the present provisional principles are
to be applied.
The principles apply:
(1) To special storeplaces for more than 1,000
kg carbide;
(2) To the special rooms for housing acetylene
generators ;
(3) Compressor and filling rooms in factories
for dissolved acetylene;
(4) Rooms that are exclusively used for the
accommodation of compressors of acetylene
plant;
(5) All other rooms in which explosible acetylene-air mixtures can be formed in industrial
processes, including gas-container rooms.
Exceptions are allowed for small independent
generators and for acetylene-driven appliances
and machine tools.
As a general rule the following may be used
in rooms with an explosion risk:
(1) All equipment certified as protected
against explosions of acetylene-air mixtures;
(2) The following equipment, which need
not be so certified:
(a) Equipment which gives off no sparks in
normal operation and whose maximum
temperature in normal operation does
not exceed 155°C, or in the case of
enclosed parts 275°C, or does not
exceed the other temperature limits
laid down in the principles;
(b) Equipment which sparks only under oil
and with which the depth of the oil is
sufficient reliably to prevent spark penetration. Heating above 240°C of parts
not under oil in the casing must be
securely prevented.
Flame-proof oilfilled equipment is allowed without
further formalities;
(c) Equipment of any construction in casing
with an independent air supply and
strong enough to withstand operational
stresses. Suitable precautions must be
taken to ensure that the current cannot
be turned on until the ventilation is
effectively in operation. The casing is
to be so cleared with fresh air that before
the commencement of operation any gasair mixtures present are expelled, and
during operation no such mixtures can
penetrate into the casing. There should
be no pockets in which residues of gas
out of reach of the fresh air blast can '
collect. If ventilation fails during operation, a clear warning signal must be
given;
(d) Equipment of any construction in pressure-resisting casing with a free cubic
capacity of not more than 301 and
designed to withstand 15 kg/cm 2 gauge
pressure.
It must be possible to switch off, on all poles,
electrical equipment in rooms with an explosion
risk.
More detailed rules are laid down for pressureresisting casing, wiring, motors, switchgear and
controls, fuses, plug and socket connections,
lamps, measuring instruments, heating appliances, signalling apparatus, and telephones.
DECREE
RESPECTING SAFETY ENGINEERS
INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS
IN
According to the Deutsche Bergwerks-Zeitung
of 4 January 1944, the Reichsarbeitsblatt of 25
December 1943 published a Decree of the Reich
Ministries of Labour and National Economy
instructing the Factory Inspection Offices to
see that safety engineers working part- or fulltime are appointed in all undertakings where
this appears necessary. As special trustees of
the managements it is the duty of these engineers
to bring to light accident risks, and to achieve
the maximum degree of safety by suitable arrangement of industrial processes and plant and
by enlightenment and instruction of the workers.
The existing co-operation between the safety
engineers, the Factory Inspection Offices, the
joint industrial organisations and the German
Labour Front is to be extended and intensified
through the constant exchange of experiences.
AMERICAN
STANDARD
SAFETY
CODE
FOR
CRANES, DERRICKS AND HOISTS.
APPROVED
BY T H E AMERICAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION,
JANUARY
1943
This, the latest American Standard Safety
Code, has been in preparation for 17 years by a
17
Committee representing 29 national organisations. I t is sponsored by the Bureau of Yards
and Docks, U.S. Navy Department, and the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
The code applies to the construction, installation, inspection, maintenance and operation of
cranes and derricks driven by steam engines,
electric motors or internal combustion engines;
to their runways; to simple drum hoists of
whatever motive power; to overhead electric
hoists and their runways; to overhead air hoists;
and to hand-powered derricks. I t does not,
however, apply to the temporary use of cranes,
derricks and hoists on construction work; this
it is intended to deal with in a separate code.
There are three main parts: I. Construction
and Installation; II. Inspection, Testing and
Maintenance; and III. Operation. In all there
are 37 chapters, including a comprehensive and
well illustrated set of definitions of various types
of cranes, hoists, and derricks and their components and accessories.
NATIONAL F I R E CODES FOR THE PREVENTION
OF D U S T EXPLOSIONS, 19431
These codes are American Standard Codes
and have been approved by the American
Standards Association. They comprise fundamental principles for the prevention of dust
explosions in industrial plants; a code for the
use of inert gas for fire and explosion prevention;
and specialised codes for the prevention of dust
explosions and ignitions in the manufacture of
aluminium bronze powder, in pneumatic coal
cleaning plants, flour and feed mills, spice
grinding plants, starch factories, terminal grain
elevators, country grain elevators, wood-flour
manufacturing establishments, and woodworking plants; and for the installation of pulverised
fuel systems, and sugar and cocoa pulverising
systems. There is also a code of suggested good
practices for the application of suction and
venting for the control of dust in grain elevators
and storage units; and a code for the prevention of sulphur-dust explosions and fires.
1
National Fire Protection Association, International, Boston, Mass.
MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
SAFETY
AND
INDUSTRIAL H E A L T H IN CONTRACT SHIPYARDS
This is a code of rules framed jointly by the
U.S. Navy Department and the U.S. Maritime
Commission. It is of a general character, and
as regards safety is mainly confined to the
organisation and function of works safety departments, employee training, lighting, housekeeping, welding, and cranes.
Oregon
SAFETY
CODE FOR CONSTRUCTION
WORK.
EFFECTIVE 1 DECEMBER
1942
This new code has been drafted by a committee of construction safety engineers, employers and workers, with the help of the American Standards Association. I t is a substantial
and detailed enactment in fourteen parts, as
follows: (1) Safety rules for employees; (2)
Demolition; (3) Excavation work; (4) Piling;
(5) Handling and storing materials; (6) Blasting; (7) Compressed air work; (8) Derricks;
(9) Scaffolds; (10) Ladders; (11) Material
hoists; (12) Temporary floors and stairs; (13)
Housekeeping, temporary wiring and lighting, temporary sanitation, salamanders, etc.;
(14) Railings and toe boards.
The various parts divide into sections. Part 1
contains twelve, including sets of rules for fire
protection, bricklayers, carpenters, concrete
work, electricians, lathers and plasterers, steel
erection, stone setters, watchmen, arc and
oxyacetylene welding, and employees' clothing.
Part 9 on scaffolds is also very comprehensive,
consisting of general requirements and special
requirements for pole scaffolds of various types,
built-up wood scaffolds, tubular scaffolds, suspended, swinging, outrigger, bracket, square,
needle beam, and horse scaffolds, plasterers'
and decorators' inside scaffolds, interior hung
scaffolds, ladder jack and window jack scaffolds,
roofing boards, crawling boards, and boatswains'
chairs.
Part 10 includes provisions on portable,
fixed, portable step, extension, trestle, extension
trestle, sectional, manhole, roof and cleat ladders
and landings.
18
OFFICIAL REPORTS, ETC.
BRAZIL
HEALTH
AND
SAFETY
CONDITIONS
IN
GOLD
MINES1
A medical Commission appointed by the
Ministry of Labour has inspected the gold mines
at Nova Lima, Minas Gérais, and drawn up a
report on conditions of employment in them.
The report describes the mines and deals at
length with various questions of health and
safety.
The total labour force was about 7,500.
Deaths from all causes in the eleven-year period
1931-1941 totalled 1,157 (144 in 1939, 124 in
1940 and 92 in 1941). The death rates per
thousand workers over this period ranged from
19.9 (1931) to 8.9 (1934). For the years 19391941 they were 19.2, 16.5, and 12.2, respectively.
Deaths from accidents over the eleven year
period totalled 161. The most recent figures
were: 1939, 14; 1940, 14; 1941, 12. About 30
per cent, of the total were cases of fractured
skulls. Electricity accounted for 7.4 per cent.
In all, 268 deaths were accounted for by
pneumonia, 215 by tuberculosis, and 195 by
heart diseases. Only 4 miners were reported to
have died from silicosis.
The Commission concludes its report with
various brief recommendations relating to hours
of work, periodical X-ray examinations, ventilation, masks, safety, sanitation and welfare, etc.
They repeatedly refer to the desirability of
education and propaganda.
CANADA
British Columbia
REPORT
OF
THE
WORKMEN'S
BOARD,
COMPENSATION
1942
Accidents
The Board was notified of 65,475 accidents
including 212 fatal, as against 46,496 and 200
respectively in 1941, 38,487 and 192 in 1940,
1
Condxcàes de Trabalho nas Minas de Ouro. Issued by Serviço de
Bstatistica da Prêvidencia e Trabalho. Ministério do Trabalho,
Industria e Coméicio. Rio de Janeiro. Reprinted from Boletim do
Ministério de Trabalho, Indûstrta e Comércio, No. 100, Dec. 1942.
33,173 and 176 in 1939, 31,505 and 159 in 1938,
and 18,274 and 97 in 1933. In 1942 the lumber
industry accounted for 35 per cent, of all accidents and 41 per cent, of the fatal accidents.
Shipbuilding accounted for 19 and 5 per cent.
respectively, general manufacturing for 10 and
4, and metal mining for 7 and 10.
Compensation to workmen, medical aid and
pension payments cost the Board nearly
$5,700,000 in the year.
Accident Prevention
During the year, the Board had nine fulltime inspectors and a Chief Inspector on its
staff. Three of these inspectors devoted their
time largely to the logging industry. Five others,
including the Chief Inspector, concentrated on
steel-ship building, construction, and mills.
One inspector, a civil engineer, with wide experience in construction, was employed to look
after the extensive work on highways and war
projects being carried on in British Columbia.
One other inspector, a mining engineer, continued to devote his time fully to the control
of dust containing silica in the metalliferous
mines in the province. In addition to the foregoing, seven inspectors appointed under the
Boiler Inspection Act inspected boilers and machinery and four inspectors appointed under
the Electrical Energy Inspection Act carried
out their duties under that Act. Both of these
Acts are administered by the Board. Not under
the Board's direct jurisdiction, but co-operating
with the inspectors under authority of the
Workmen's Compensation Act, two inspectors
appointed under the Factories Act and three
under the Railway Act made reports to the
Board of their inspections as required throughout the year. Inspectors of coal and metal
mines also co-operate in inspections.
Whenever warranted, investigations of accidents were made by one of the inspection services.
During the year there were 472 such investigations. In all, 10,013 inspections were made
during 1942. Thousands of safeguards were
installed-as the result of the Board's directions.
IS
OFFICIAL REPORTS'
Over 63,000 pieces of safety literature were
distributed and over 18,700 letters, orders, and
follow-ups were made in the course of the year.
An intensive educational campaign was continued amongst employers and workmen
throughout the year.
The Board's inspectors assisted in the organisation of accident-prevention committees and
safety director bodies in the various plants
engaged in steel-ship construction. Meetings
with safety directors from all the shipyards in
British Columbia were held, as well as with the
managers of all yards. Views were exchanged,
suggestions made, and directions given for the
greater protection and safety of workmen employed in these yards.
It would appear that employers generally
have become more alive to the necessity of
taking precautions for the protection of their
workmen, and in the great majority of cases
the very best co-operation has been extended by
the management. In this work the Board has
also had valuable co-operation from the Industrial Hygiene Division of the Department of
Pensions and National Health. A careful study
of conditions in the shipbuilding industry was
made with a view to issuing special accidentprevention regulations covering the industry,
and it is proposed to bring these regulations into
effect.
On account of the great increase in industry
and because so many men have been called to
the armed forces, a very large number of young
and inexperienced workers have been employed
for the first time where mechanical and other
hazards exist. The necessity of careful training
and supervision for such workers has been
stressed at every opportunity.
First Aid
The First-aid Service Requirements were
revised and put into effect on 31 May 1942.
Over 23,000 copies of these requirements were
distributed amongst employers and others interested in first aid throughout the Province.
During the year all employers were required to
report on their first-aid equipment and service
available to workmen. The extent of this service
was checked by the accident-prevention inspectors when they made their inspections of the
various plants.
All employers were circularised on several
occasions during the year on the necessity of
maintaining adequate first-aid service. During
the year 771 persons took advanced instruction
in Industrial First Aid and qualified for Certificates of Competency. By reason of enlistments
in the armed forces and increased industrial
activity, the demand for qualified industrial
first-aid attendants exceeded the supply. To
meet the needs of industry employers have been
encouraged to have additional candidates take
the instructions given through St. John Ambulance and the First-aid Attendants' Association.
Silicosis
The Metalliferous Mines Regulations Act provides for an annual medical examination of
workmen employed in the metalliferous-mining
industry. Pursuant to that Act, 5,104 medical
examinations, including chest X-rays, were
carried out during 1942. Certificates of fitness
for underground work were issued to all applicants except twenty. The examining doctors
did not issue certificates to workmen whom they
considered unsuited to employment in a silicadust exposure.
In the seven years that silicosis has been a
compensable disease 244 claims have been
allowed, forty-two of which were allowed during
the past year.
Dust sampling was continued by the silicosis
inspector. Full and complete instructions were
given to mine operators and many workmen in
the best methods for curtailing the silicosishazard in the metal-mining industry. Thirtyseven surveys were made and many mining
properties visited.
Physiotherapy
The necessity of establishing a physiotherapy
clinic became more urgent during the preceding
three or four years as a result of the increased
number of workmen employed and injured in
hazardous industries and the necessity of having
them fitted to re-engage in industry with the
least possible delay. Heretofore, all remedial
treatment along physiotherapy lines carried on
in the Vancouver district was given by about
thirty-five individuals, groups, institutions, and
hospitals.
While some useful services were
rendered, there were disadvantages due to outof-date methods and the use of inadequate
equipment.
The Board leased a large building and fitted
it up with special apparatus and equipment to
20
use the forces of nature—such as heat, light,
electricity, exercise, air, and water—to effect
a cure or relieve the effects of the injuries sustained. A doctor who is a physiotherapy specialist and a competent staff of highly qualified
technicians were secured and the department
was opened on October 1st, 1942.
During the last three months of 1942 an
average of 262 workmen were given physiotherapy treatments each day the clinic was
open. In all, 16,756 such treatments were given
in that period.
The effects obtained by properly supervised
physiotherapy have, under these advantageous
conditions, brought about the more speedy recovery and rehabilitation of an injured workman. Such treatment produces increased function of stiffened joints, eliminates pain, produces an increase in the muscle tone of the
injured part, increases circulation and tends
generally to remove the injured workman from
the totally disabled to an employable class.
In addition to the physical effect, there is a
profound psychological result.
Ontario
a high proportion of them were serious; of a
total of 1,330, 3 were fatal and 165 caused permanent disability.
Among the various groups of causes the
leading individual cause is handling heavy
objects with 16,578 accidents (6 fatal, 115 permanent disability); next is falls of persons on
the level with 6,472 (7 fatal, 69 permanent
disability); and third, automobiles, and other
power vehicles with 3,737, including 41 fatal
and 78 permanent disability cases.
FINLAND
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT STATISTICS
The published material on industrial accidents
in Finland for the three years 1937-1939 consists of twelve detailed tables for each year,
explanatory text and summary tables.
The
statistics relate to the distribution of accidents
by industry, cause, severity, nature of injury,
age and sex and insurance costs.
Table I gives summary data on frequency and
severity by industrial groups. The figures in
brackets are those for fatal accidents included
in the totals.
REPORT OF THE WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION
BOARD,
1937-19391
TABLE I
1942
The increase in industrial activity was accompanied by an increase in the number of reported
accidents to 133,513 as against 113,822 in 1941
and 81,116 in 1940. Compensation benefits'in
1942 amounted to approximately $10,937,000.
Since 1 January 1915 when the Workmen's
Compensation Act came into force 1,702,128
accidents have been reported to the Board and
over $163,000,000 has been paid out in benefits.
In the final classification of the 1941 accidents,
in which 102,290 are tabulated, working machines is the largest group with 25,270 accidents,
including 21 fatal and 866 causing permanent
disability; 'handling objects' comes second with
20,901 including 6 fatal and 136 permanent
disability cases; falls of persons third with
12,352 accidents including 59 fatal and 227 permanent disability cases.
The working machine most frequently involved in accidents was the abrasive wheel—
5,281 accidents, including 1 fatal and 41 permanent disability cases; lathes came second with
2,535 (0 fatal, 26 permanent disability) ; presses,
third with 2,521 (2 fatal and 242 permanent
disability). Saws caused fewer accidents, but
Year
Man
years
Accidents
Accident
frequency
per
1000
man
years
Manufactures
1937
1938
1939
235,469
238,051
235,290
16,688 (70)
15,849 (77)
14.698 (80)
70.9
66.6
62.5
1,243,458
1,238.141
1,211.846
Building construction
1937
1938
1939
59,213
60,440
63,331
6,323 (38)
6,969 (42)
7,302 (36)
106.8
115.3
115.3
488,837
529,141
536,601
Agriculture
1937
1938
1939
145,953
150,603
139,169
8,585 (44)
9.026 (41)
8,123 (30)
58.8
59.9
58.4
757,022
689,120
673,471
Lumbering and
timber floating
1937
1938
1939
78.910
75.229
56,872
13,177 (37)
10.584 (36)
6,733 (22)
167.0
140.7
118.4
613,153
503,175
311,841
Communications 1937
and commerce 1938
1939
89,585
89,084
93,854
5,989 (91)
5,608 (42)
4,574 (49)
66.9
63.0
48.7
761.805
493,030
476,190
1937
1938
1939
92,338
96,073
96,409
1,851 (11)
1,961 (10)
1,765 (7)
20.0
20.4
18.3
158,525
126.558
105,190
1937
1938
1939
701,468
709.480
684,925
52,613 (291)
49,997 (248)
43,195 (224)
75.0
70.5
63.0
4,022,800
3,579,165
3,315,139
•
Industry
Others
Totals
Lost
man days
Table II gives frequency and severity data
for the individual industries with the highest
frequency rates.
1
A Tapaturmatilastoa. Työssä Satluneet Tapaturmal Vuosina 193739. Uusi Sarja II, Helsinki, 1943.
21
OFFICIAL REPORTS
Industry
Year
Accidents
Metal mining and
refining
1937
1938
1939
248
129
139
143.2
92.4
130.9
19.3
35.5
22.0
135
384
168
S t o n e , clay, glass
and peat
1937
1938
1939
1,602
1.742
1,722
107.5
111.5
102.8
7.5
10.4
9.6
7C
93
94
objects (18.9), transport equipment (11.6), machine tools (10.1), slipping or fall of persons
(10.0). Transport equipment accounted for the
highest percentage (21.8) of the total number
of days lost from all causes; machine tools came
second with 16.5.
An analysis of the circumstances of machinetool accidents gives the results shown in table
III.
Woodworking
1937
1938
1939
7,084
5,649
4,973
135.0
115.5
110.6
10.2
9.3
8.2
76
81
74
GREAT BRITAIN
Building
construction
1937
1938
1939
6,323
6,969
7,302
106.8
115.3
115.3
8.3
8.8
8.5
77
76
73
Lumbeting and
t i m b e r floating
1937
1938
1939
13,177
10.584
6,733
167.0
140.7
118.4
7.8
6.7
5.5
47
48
46
TABLE II
Accident
frequency
per 1000
man
years
L o s t d a y s Lost d a y s
per
per
man
accident
year
Besides having the highest frequency rate,
metal mining etc. also had the highest number
of days lost per man year and per accident
(see table II). For all industries, days lost per
man year averaged 5.7 in 1937, 5.0 in 1938 and
4.8 in 1939; per accident the corresponding
figures were 76, 72 and 77.
In the percentage distribution of accident
causes for all industries taken together over
the three-year period, the following have the
highest figures: hand tools (23.0), handling
TABLE III
Year
Accidents
Days Lost
machine or
1937
1938
1939
286
327
222
28,350
38,882
25,411
Starting, stopping and
operating
1937
1938
1939
3,968
3,586
3,772
400,986
414,829
409,462
Greasing, cleaning or
attending machines
at rest
1937
1938
1939
104
59
113
5,229
2,565
18,017
Greasing, cleaning or
attending machines
in motion
1937
1938
1939
281
345
236
89,365
82,415
72,748
Breakage
parts
machine
1937
1938
1939
152
134
140
40,830
10,526
4,697
Fragments of material
worked
1937
1938
1939
258
299
252
26,696
27,967
18,581
Others and unknown
1937
1938
1939
71
44
43
36,603
20,258
20,362
1937
1938
1939
5,120
4,794
4,778
628,059
597,442
569,278
Circumstance
Adjusting
work
Totals
of
ANNUAL
REPORT OF THE SAFETY IN
RESEARCH BOARD,
1942
MINES
The report deals with researches in connection with coal dust explosions, firedamp explosions, electricity, mining explosives, supports,
roof control, haulage, and wire ropes.
The Board reaffirm their confidence in the
efficacy of stone dust in preventing the spread
of coal-dust explosions, provided that there is
sufficient stone dust and that it is fairly well
mixed with the coal dust. These two conditions
can only be satisfied by the maintenance of good
supervision over the state of the dust throughout the roadways. The question of the minimum
proportion of stone dust required for the most
dangerous coal dusts is again touched upon,
and the conclusion reiterated that as much as
75 per cent, stone dust is sometimes necessary
in the mixture.
During the year the Board conducted researches on: (1) the effect on the propagation
of coal dust explosions of incomplete mixing of
stone and coal dusts, (2) the composition of the
dust raised by an explosion, and (3) highly dispersible stone dusts. As regards (2), it was
generally found that well mixed dusts are raised
in their own proportions;-while in suspension,
however, some dusts may undergo a partial
separation in the air stream although the degree
of separation is slight in the interval between
the raising of the dust and the arrival of the
explosion flame. Dispersability of stone dust
would seem to be somewhat improved by the
reduction of the proportion of ultra-fine particles.
Although no special machines have been devised
for the production of dusts with low ultra-fine
content, experiments have been carried out with
existing dust extractors, and they have produced
dusts that have given good results.
The report also describes various simple
colorimetric devices for estimating the composition of mixtures of stone and coal dusts.
22
Under the head of firedamp explosions the
report describes experimental ignitions of firedamp by heat produced by rubbing steel on steel.
The electrical researches were concerned with
the temperatures of gases ejected from flameproof enclosures, the strength of flameproof enclosures and exploders for multi-shot firing.
External ignitions originating in flameproof enclosures appeared to have been initiated by a
burst of flame and not by hot gases, as was
previously thought.
Research was continued on various aspects
of shotfiring. Particles of undetonated explosive
in the atmosphere were found to reduce very
considerably the ignition temperature of airfiredamp mixtures—from 700CC to 430° and
370°.
Tests were made with ash, beech and oak
timbering; and with concrete-filled mild-steel
tubes, telescopic wood-filled steel props, concrete pack-wall reinforcement, concrete chocks,
and other forms of support.
Attention is drawn to the drawbacks of building up worn or defective shafts of pulleys,
haulage engines, and coalcutters by welding
methods. The weld metal has low impact,
tensile and fatigue strengths, and readily cracks
under heavy duty. The dangers are increased
when the shafts are made of high-carbon steel
or alloy steel.
The Board has considered plans for the conduct of post-war work on safety problems, and
contemplates the reconstruction of the laboratories at Buxton with an improved lay-out.
NORWAY
ANNUAL
REPORT OF THE FACTORY
TORATE, 19411
INSPEC-
In 1941, 23,943 undertakings employing
319,638 workers were subject to inspection. The
total labour force comprised 253,358 adult
males, 50,384 adult females, 10,601 male and
4,646 female juveniles between the ages of 15
and 18, and 508 male and 141 female juveniles
between the ages of 12 and 15. The building
industry was the largest, with 73,726 workers;
next came the metallurgical and machine building industries with 58,000; woodworking was
third with 44,640; and food, drink and tobacco
fourth, with 40,956.
15,324 undertakings (64.00 per cent, of the
total) employed 1-5 workers, 3,727 (15.57 per
1
For 1940, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XVIII, No. 4, p. 143.
cent.) 6-10, 2,284 (9.54 per cent.) 11-20, 1,488
(6.21 per cent.) 21-50, 616 (2.57 per cent.)
51-100, 456 (1.91 per cent.) 101-500, and 48
(0.20 per cent.) over 500.
The inspectors carried out 5,795 inspections
in the course of the year; 5,733 undertakings
were inspected once and 70 more than once.
In the inspected undertakings 192,791 workers
were employed. Orders issued to undertakings
totalled 8,077; factory premises (heating, lighting, sanitation, etc.) accounted. for 2,002 of
them, woodworking machinery for 1,171, and
metal-working machinery for 231.
The local labour boards, 763 in all, carried
out 24,702 inspections and issued 8,192 orders.
Wartime conditions continued to create difficulties for the inspectors. The shortage of petrol
reduced motor travel and it was often impossible
to use boats for the inspection of coastal districts.
In some inland districts effective supervision
was impossible because of the distances between
undertakings.
Inspectors also found great
difficulties in securing board and lodging on
their journeys, especially in the north.
During the year the Inspectorate issued instructions or recommendations concerning benzol poisoning, chrome ulceration, accommodation for workers in lumbering and timber floating, gas generators for motor vehicles, dust
and gas masks, silicosis, health and safety in
civil engineering, etc.
Steam and pressure plant subject to the Boiler
Inspectorate comprised 4,339 fired boilers, 955
locomobiles, 261 electric boilers and 4,868
receivers—a total of 10,423 as against 10,154
in 1940. General examinations of boilers numbered 887, and of receivers, 791. In addition
the 1,192 annual examinations were made. The
boiler inspectors issued 3,242 orders. Some information is given in the report on boiler accidents.
Reported accidents totalled 15,373 including
174 fatal. Building and civil engineering accounted for 4,158 including 85 fatal, the metallurgical industries 2,288 including 8 fatal, agricultural and forestry 1,768 including 4 fatal,
the woodworking industry 1,737 including 2
fatal, and transport 1,346 including 36 fatal.
The substantial rise in the number of accidents
—15,373 in 1941 as against 11,096 in 1940 and
13,136 in 1939—is attributed largely to the
increase in employment and the engagement of
inexperienced workers. I t is not possible to say
what has been the effect of longer working hours
23
OFFICIAL REPOBTS
and poorer nutrition. Accident risks have been
particularly high in the civil engineering works
in construction in various parts of the country.
All in charge of such works have been ordered
to give accident-prevention instruction to their
foremen, and these in turn must advise the men.
The war continued to affect health and safety
conditions in undertakings. Increased activity
in many undertakings led to demands for the
expansion and modernisation of premises, but
shortage of materials hindered this. When the
Inspectorate ordered improvements in working
rooms or the provision of mess, cloak and wash
rooms the Supply Department did its best to
issue the purchasing permits for the necessary
materials, but as shortages grew more acute
permits became more difficult to obtain. Often
personnel rooms have been combined with airraid shelters. Supply shortages also hindered
improvements in lighting and ventilation. More
concern was, however, being paid to order and
cleanliness, especially in the larger undertakings.
Difficulties were great when the occupier was
only the lessee. Cleaning and renovation materials have also deteriorated.
The report deals in some detail with health
and safety conditions in the various inspection
divisions, describes noteworthy accidents and
discusses safety devices and other precautionary
measures.
The section on industrial health deals briefly
with pneumoconioses, various types of poisoning, fatigue diseases (neuritis, etc.), eczema,
tuberculosis, eye injuries, etc.
Since 1890, according to the Norwegian Association for the Blind, there have been 173 cases
of blindness that have been, or may have been,
due to industrial accidents. Seventy are attributed to mining accidents, 24 to building and civil
engineering or other stone work, 29 to other
industrial causes and 50 to unknown causes.
The frequency of accidental blindness has remained fairly steady over the last 30 years.
In the decade 1891-1900, there were 17 cases;
in 1901-1910, 31; in 1911-1920, 45; in 1921-1930,
38; and in 1931-1940, 41.
PALESTINE
R E P O R T OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR FOR
19421
A Department of Labour was established in
Palestine in July 1942 and its inspection service
1
DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR. Jerusalem: Annual
(Abridged edition), No. 11 of 1943.
began to function in the following October. In
a short time the inspectors covered a wide field
of work: during the year, and chiefly during the
last quarter, more than 700 industrial and
business undertakings were visited, most of them
being factories with power-driven machinery.
Much oral advice was given during these
visits and as a result of them 708 contravention
notices or letters containing advice were sent
to employers, nearly half of them dealing with
the fencing of transmission machinery. The
circumstances of 70 industrial accidents were
investigated on the spot, and advice given with
a view to preventing recurrences.
The Research and Intelligence Section of the
Department collects information on labour
matters in Palestine and abroad, keeps a general
library and a safety library, supplies information, collects and compiles statistics, undertakes
special enquiries and exercises control over the
operation of the Workmen's Compensation
Rules.
The Department has begun the publication
of a quarterly "Department of Labour Bulletin"
which includes articles of interest to employers
and workers. The first two issues contain articles
on accident costs, factory safety organisation,
accidents to young workers, notification of
accidents, industrial training, etc. Safety posters have also been reproduced.
A general Factories Ordinance was in preparation as well as special regulations for the protection of women and children.
SWEDEN
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INDUSTRIAL
TORATE FOR
INSPEC-
19411
At the end of 1941, 17,668 workplaces employing 737,642 workers were registered with the
State inspectors, and 45,617 workplaces employing 150,031 workers, with the sub-inspectors.
The largest industries were ore mining and
metallurgy, with 7,177 workplaces and 230,637
workers; agriculture, sylviculture and food, with
27,925 workplaces and 132,099 workers; textiles
and clothing, with 1,502 workplaces and 95,275
workers; and lumbering and woodworking, with
12,471 workplaces and 94,686 workers. In all
there were 63,285 workplaces comprising 66,933
separately registered departments and employing 887,673 workers.
o
Report for 1942
1
Riksförsäkringsanstalten: YrkesinsPektionens Verksamhet Ar 1941.
For 1940, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 1. p, 25.
24
During the year 24,551 inspections were made
in workplaces, of which 23,496 were first inspections.
In the workplaces inspected 363,989
workers were employed.
Another 61,639 workplaces were registered
with the communal inspectors, who paid 58,424
visits to workplaces employing a total of 152,977
workers.
The inspectors and the district engineers
issued orders during the year in respect of 4,011
workplaces; and the sub-inspectors, in respect
of 3,678.
1,434 plans for the construction, alteration or
extension of workplaces, or for the introduction
of new, or the modification of existing, working
processes were submitted to the Inspectorate.
In this connection the inspectors submitted 50
proposals themselves and took part in 9,638
conferences or consultations.
By the end of the year the appointment of
workers' safety delegates had been reported in
4,548 workplaces, of which 1,133 were in the
ore mining and metallurgical industries, 678
in lumbering and woodworking, 578 in paper
and printing and 503 in agriculture, sylviculture
and food. Safety engineers were working in 263
workplaces, and safety committees in 326.
During the year 69 prosecutions were undertaken.
Reported accidents totalled 135,134, of which
654 were fatal. Workplaces within the Inspectorate's jurisdiction accounted for 109,965 of
these accidents, including 231 fatal. 258 cases
of occupational diseases were also reported
during the year.
Registered boilers numbered 14,596 and other
registered pressure vessels 11,301. Of these,
6,455 boilers and 8,608 other pressure vessels
were under the supervision of the Steam Boiler
Owners' Association. During the year 4,166
certificates were issued concerning the inspection of boilers, 689 concerning the inspection
of other pressure vessels, and 13,131 concerning
the inspection of hoists and other lifting installations.
A large part of the report is devoted to descriptions and illustrations of safety devices for
industrial equipment of many kinds, including
hoists, rail traversers, inclined cable railways,
saws, planers, presses, gearing, abrasive wheels,
metal-disc cutters, annealing furnaces, and
piping.
The observations of the woman inspector are
chiefly concerned with safety and health in the
catering trades, in which 1,616 accidents were
reported in 1941. Cuts and punctures were the
most frequent types of injury. Cutting machinery accounted for 43 cases, and miscellaneous
causes for another 720. Stumbling and falling
caused 384 accidents, and burns 207.
The
accident totals in the catering trades, after
rising steadily from 1934 to 1939 when a peak
of 1,939 was reached, have now fallen for two
years in succession, and the inspector hopes
that the curve will continue to take a downward
trend. She adds, however, that this will largely
depend on the interest taken in safety by the
workers themselves. This is perhaps more important in the catering trades than in any
other, for the accidents are usually of the kind
that can only be avoided by care, prudence and
observance of safety principles. It cannot be
said that these are trivial accidents not worth
attention, for in the catering trades infection of
injuries is common and not infrequently has
fatal results. Nor do people who fall when
carrying scalding-hot food and drink always
escape lightly.
For several years intensive safety propaganda
has been conducted in the catering trades, one
of its objects being to secure the appointment
of more safety delegates at workplaces. Restaurant workers, however, have been reluctant
to serve as delegates; they seem to think that
they would be in an invidious position—their
workmates would ask too much of them while
doing nothing themselves, and the employers
would look upon them as trouble makers.
The inspector also refers to the growing
number of scalp injuries due to loose hair catching in machinery, and remarks how difficult it
is to induce women to take the necessary precautions. Intensive propaganda is needed here.
The explosives inspector describes in some
detail three serious cases of fire and explosion
at explosives factories. One was an explosion
of an ether-air mixture in a kneading house for
nitrocellulose powder, and appeared to be due
to the failure of a workman to open the valve
of the exhaust system. Another fire in the
kneading house of the same undertaking was
traced to a screw-bolt that had worked loose
from rolls, fallen into the mass and been carried
with the mass into the kneading machine. The
third accident, in which six people were killed,
was an explosion at a cartridging machine.
Since the explosive was such fhat it could
scarcely be ignited, let alone detonated, in the
25
OFFICIAL REPORTS
cartridging machine, it must be assumed that
by some negligence a primer had been dropped
into the explosive.
A number of explosions in the filling of primers
led to investigations into static electrical charges
among persons engaged on this work.
The
accumulation of charges was facilitated by the
extraordinarily dry air indoors at a time when
it was very cold out of doors. Investigations
in the Institute for High-tension Research at
Uppsala were inconclusive, but the undertakings concerned have been advised to maintain an atmospheric humidity of at least 60
per cent, wherever possible, and not to allow
workers to wear boots with soles of insulating
material.
The section on health deals, inter alia, with
ventilation, lighting, dust exhaustion, masks,
dangerous substances, generator-gas vehicles,
cloak rooms, wash rooms, dining rooms and
first aid. This section also is profusely illustrated.
Some accounts are given of the good work
done by works safety committees.
Inspectors continued their educational work
by means of discussions with employers and
workers, talks at meetings, and lectures in
technical, apprenticeship and trade schools.
One inspector remarks that although this work
makes heavy demands on inspectors' time and
is sometimes a real burden, it does afford unique
opportunities of influencing safety men, and is
the best means of animating safety organisations.
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN
Industrial accidents reported to the State
Insurance Institute in 1940 totalled 183,689,
of which 77.4 per cent, occurred in undertakings
regularly employing five or more workmen,
15.4 per cent, in smaller undertakings and 7.2
per cent, in State undertakings. The total was
6.4 per cent, smaller than in 1939.
Particulars of the accidents in the larger
undertakings of some of the most important
industries are given in the table below, together
with corresponding figures for the 5-year period
1934-1938.
The industry with the highest frequency rate
in 1940 was ore mining and refining with an
aggregate of 26.9 accidents per 100 man-years
(men 27.1, women 7.4); metallurgy was second
with 23.5 (men 24.6, women 9.6) and shipping
and fisheries third with 23.3 (men 23.8, women
8.9). The number of lost days per man-year
was highest in shipping and fisheries (201.09),
followed by ore mining and refining (23.36),
and building (14.20). Days lost per accident
were highest in shipping and fisheries (863),
chemicals (96), offices, banks, insurance, etc.
(89), and ore mining and refining (87). The
high figures for shipping and fisheries were due
to "war accidents".
The total number of days lost in all industries
as a result of accidents in 1940 is estimated at
11.2 million, of which 18.5 per cent, is attributed
to sickness, 28.5 per cent, to invalidity and
53.0 per cent, to death.
l
Sociala Meddelanden, 1943, No. ?, p. 707.
Offices,
banks,
insurance,
etc.
Households,
hotels,
restaurants,
etc.
Totals
146.675
96,947
42,231
47,774
15,026
80,202
884.812
369.665
13,77.4
7.665
2,852
766
633
1.243
3,726
127,451
14,803
8.0
4.0
5.4
17.8
5.2
2.9
4.3
1.8
1.3
1.6
8.3
4.6
5.2
14.4
6.4
9.9
7.3
3.5
4.8
16.9
4.8
2.3
3.9
1.7
1.0
1.3
7.5
4.4
5.0
13.5
16.8
7.65
7.92
4.51
5.08
2.13
2.19
14.20
13.51
2.02
2.14
1.39
1.25
1.75
2.33
8.90
6.86
80
86
34
51
39
45
80
80
47
54
89
93
34
47
78
64
Metallurgy
Agriculture,
forestry,
etc.
Woodwork-
Paper
and
print-
Food,
drink
ing
tobacco
clothing
140.918
11,375
109,346
14.234
44,769
1,106
46,690
11,549
34,652
1,095
18,190
8,322
24.6
16.6
18.6
23.5
15.2
18.3
4.6
9.6
23.2
16.6
17.4
10.3
22.2
14.9
17.2
4.0
9.2
6.64
7.73
8.36
9.81
13.11
13.42
28
35
55
66
72
78
ing
19401
Textile
Build-
and
and
ing
warehousing
38,288
21,473
30,109
56,524
77,277
5,055
528
6.113
1,733
2,398
2,288
10.8
16.0
and
Trade
Man-years
Men
Women
787
Accidents
Men
Women
Accidents per 100
man-years
1940:
Men
Women
Total
9.6
551
3.9
92
8.3
8.1
13.1
68
8.6
17.7
4.0
11.3
1934-1938
Men
Women
Total
Lost days
Per man-year
1940
1934-1938
Per accident
1940
1934-1938
7.9
3.9
6.3
11.9
7.4
3.4
10.8
26
SWITZERLAND
ANNUAL
REPORT
OF
THE
SWISS
NATIONAL
ACCIDENT INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR
19421
Between 31 December 1941 and 31 December
1942 the number of undertakings liable to compulsory accident insurance increased from 51,326
to 52,221.
Occupational accidents in 1942
totalled 176,719 of which 373 were fatal, and
63,485 trivial.
Non-occupational accidents
reported to the Institute totalled 60,941 of
which 279 were fatal and 14,873 trivial. The
grand total of accidents was thus 237,660, an
increase of 36.3 per cent, over 1938, the last
pre-war year, when the total was 174,297. The
number of disablement pensions awarded increased from 3,702 in 1938 to 4,544 in 1942,
22.7 per cent. more.
Among the more serious accidents, the report
mentions an explosion due to an ignition of
lighting gas in the main of the Basle gasworks
(7 injured); an avalanche burying workers
clearing away snow in the Linthal (4 killed);
fire in a woodworking plant and sawmill at
Ruswill (4 killed, 4 injured); collision of trains
at Tiischerz (5 killed, 9 injured); fall of ground
in the lignite workings at Hiiswil-Ufhausen
(7 killed).
The technical inspectors of the Institute
carried out 3,348 inspections; the Heavy Current
Inspectorate of the Swiss Electrotechnical Association reported on 119 investigations of accidents; the Steam Boiler Owners' Association
inspected 4,222 undertakings; the Swiss Acetylene Association inspected 583; and the Gasworks Inspectorate, 96.
The Institute's machinists, who demonstrate
the proper use of guards, visited 1,375 undertakings and the fitters, 833. The fitters installed
1,468 guards. The Safety Service issued 5,404
safety instructions of which 2,370 concerned
woodworking machines, and 1,045, abrasive
wheels. Only two objections were lodged against
these instructions; one was rejected and the other
withdrawn.
In 102 cases, employers' insurance premiums
were raised for failure to comply with the Institute's instructions.
By agreement with the Swiss Acetylene Association a new Acetylene Inspectorate has been
established as a body separate from the Association and exclusively concerned with accident
prevention.
' For 1941, see Industrial Safely Survey, Vol. XVIII, No. 3, p. 106.
The activities of the Accident Prevention
Office of the Swiss Building Contractors' Association were greatly reduced owing to the absence
of technical staff on military service. On the
other hand, the Accident Prevention Office
attached to the Central Forestry Institute had
more to do as the result of the extension of tree
felling. It was compelled to increase the number
of courses for training workers in rational methods of felling, which are at the same time
the safest.
During the year 31,300 pairs of protective
goggles were sold. The demand for the Institute's guards has substantially increased.
The report makes brief mention, with illustrations, of the latest improvements effected in its
guards for abrasive wheels and overhand planing machines.
The situation as regards occupational diseases
improved somewhat during the year; defects in
new plant that had had to be hastily installed
were remedied and there was better knowledge
of the dangers of certain substitute materials.
Considerable difficulties were still being encountered in combating silicosis. The Federal
Social Insurance Office made wet drilling compulsory in coal mines. Some undertakings,
however, had no water supplies and it was
becoming increasingly difficult to obtain wetdrilling equipment.
Similar difficulties were
encountered in the construction of fortifications.
During the year a new Order was issued for
the prevention of lead poisoning in the manufacture and use of paints containing lead. It was
not considered practicable to enforce a qualified
prohibition of the use of paints with a lead base
as required by the International Labour Convention of 1921 on the use of white lead in
painting. Moreover, the frequency of lead poisoning in painting undertakings has declined to
such an extent that the question of white lead
has lost much of its importance. The cases
that have been reported have mostly been due
not to white lead or lead suphate but to other
paints with a lead base, and especially red lead.
Experts cannot yet say whether such paints
can be satisfactorily replaced by non-lead paints.
A Committee is still investigating the matter.
ELECTRICAL ACCIDENTS,
19421
In 1942, 150 electrical accidents were reported
to the Heavy Current Inspectorate. In these
1
Communication de l'Inspectorat des installations â courant fort.
Bulletin dtVASE, 1943, No. 12. For 1941, see Industrial Safety Survey,
Vol. XIX, No. 1, p. 28.
OFFICIAL
accidents 154 persons were injured, 28 of them
fatally, as compared with 154 and 32 respectively
in 1941. These figures do not include 4 persons
killed and 15 injured in electric traction accidents.
Of the 154 victims of non-traction accidents,
7 were operating personnel of power stations,
63 other personnel of power stations and contractors' fitters, and 84 third parties. The corresponding average figures for 1933-1942 were:
total victims 115, operating personnel 9, other
personnel 48, third parties 58. Low tension
accounted for 15 fatal and 96 non-fatal injuries,
and high tension for 13 fatal and 30 non-fatal.
The ten year averages 1933-1942 were: low
tension, 16 fatal, 68 non-fatal; high tension,
9 fatal, 22 non-fatal.
The low-tension accidents are classified as
follows by causes and victims. Fatal accidents
included in the totals are shown in brackets.
Cause
Operating
personnel
of electrical
undertakings
Third
parties
32 (1)
16(1)
Parts of live installations or
apparatus in service
Parts of installations or apparatus not conforming to the
regulations; faulty manipulation by third parties
Insulation defects and inadequate protection of live parts
Total
ACCIDENTS AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES DURING
9 (1)
22 (7)
19421
2
30 (5)
The report gives frequency and severity rates
for various groups of operations in the production, transportation and marketing of petroleum
products and natural gas. The year's accident
figures are summarised in the accompanying table.
43 (2)
Power
stations
and large substations
Lines
transforming stations. .
Testing laboratories
Provisional
installations
Industrial undertakings
Transportable
motors
Portable lamps. .
Fixed l a m p s . . . .
Medical apparatus
Other i n d o o r . . . .
installations. .. .
Total
Up to
250 V
251 —
1.C00 V
68 (13)
1001 —
10.000 V
Total
5 (1)
3
4 (1)
11 (3)
13 (6)
14(3)
22 (8)
1
2
11 (3)
14(3)
1
1
6 (1)
8(1)
17 (3)
3
12 (2)
23
7
9 (6)
5 (1)
2
9 (1)
7
66 (14)
45 (1)
The principal categories of victims were fitters
and labourers of electrical undertakings and
contractors (49), factory workers (33), building
workers (17), and other employees of electrical
undertakings (13).
The report concludes with descriptions of
several of the accidents and comments on some
of the causes. Forty per cent, of the accidents
in industrial undertakings were attributed to
short-circuit arcs. Special mention is made of
accidents due to inspection or alteration carried
out on live parts, and to the starting of heavy
motors with the controller in the off position.
In the latter case, subsequent opening of the
switch may result in considerable arcing. All
the fatal accidents with portable lamps (and
trailing cable) were due to faulty sockets; most
occurred in cellars. A noteworthy accident
occurred in an open air station when a workman,
who was climbing to his workplace by an unauthorised way, came into the vicinity of a
150,000 V disconnecting switch, which arced
and killed him.
The next table shows the distribution of all
accidents by equipment and voltage.
Fatal
injuries included in the totals are shown in
brackets.
Equipment
27
REPORTS
20 (3)
2
37 (2)
9
9(6)
5(1)
16(1)
43 (13) 154 (28)
Department
Number of injuries
Number
Fre- SeverNon-fatal
ity
of men
quency
rate
emFatal
rate
PerTemployed
manent porary
3,551
9,195
Production
Nat. gasoline and 62,425
recycle operations 8,843
Pipeline (oil) . . . . 25,284
Pipeline (gas) . . . .
Marine transpor- 9,986
tation (ocean and
9,559
coastwise)
Marine transportation ( i n l a n d
1,011
waters)
Marketing (whole- 59,062
Marketing (retail) 11,808
Marketing (wholesale and retail) . . 40,302
Miscellaneous . . . 31,018
Departments not 2.885
indicated
All
departments
excluding refining. 274,929
42,881
All departments
including refining. 317,810
18.59
52.74
18.27
2.37
6.04
2.23
11
17
6
130
814
2,131
237
555
226
13.79
11.44
11.54
2.95
1.30
1.78
13
565
20.62
2.12
3
40
14.17
7.33
13
10
3
1,164
446
9.37
16.69
0.85
0.21
11
6
14
7
2
1,226
502
14.68
8.23
1.16
0.78
71
12.53
0.59
96
12
203
56
8,107
820
14.63
9.71
1.55
1.29
108
259
8,927
13.96
1.52
2
11
28
3
31
85
4
7
5
6
i U. S. Bureau of Mines, H. S. S., No. 328, 1943, 20 pp.
28
On the whole, large companies had lower
frequency rates than small companies. In the
largest department of the industry, production,
the distribution of accident rates by size of
undertaking was as shown below:
Undertakings
Large
Medium
Small
No. of
No. of
Frequency
employees accidents
rate
57,991
3,412
1,022
2,037
151
56
17.55
27.83
42.60
Severity
rate
2.16
2.88
5.54
RESEARCH ON SUB-AUDIBLE NOISES OF ROCK
IN
The geophone, contained in a steel tube of
114 m - (32 mm) diameter and approximately
8 in. (200 mm) in length, is inserted in a borehole and connected, by means of the transmission cable, to the amplifying and recording
equipment.
M I N E S AND THEIR U S E FOR THE P R E DICTION OF ROCK BURSTS
Reports by the U.S. Bureau of Mines
Following upon a preliminary report issued in
19411 the United States Bureau of Mines recently
published a second report 2 on its investigations
respecting sub-audible noises of the rock in
mines.
This programme of research was initiated in
1937; some years earlier the chief of the Bureau's
Mining Division had suggested that rock under
pressure might give rise to sub-audible noise,
and that the intensity and frequency of this
noise might be a good guide for those in charge
of the supervision of roof conditions in mines.
During the years 1937-1942 numerous tests
have been carried out to determine the practical
value of this idea; and, as the results of these
tests show, it is possible by this method to foretell,
with a certain degree of accuracy, rock bursts
which usually occur in deep mines, often causing
fatal accidents and other disturbances. The
observations and measurements carried out by
the Bureau have shown, in fact, that this method
can also be used to determine whether or not it
may be safe to remove supporting pillars left
behind to carry the roof in open stopes or chambers.
The apparatus used in these investigations
will be described in a later report, now in preparation; it consists essentially of: (a) a geophone
or sound detector with a transmission cable; (6)
a so-called "high-gain" amplifier with filters;
(c) a logarithmic amplifier, with time-discriminating circuits, power amplifier and power pack;
(d) a graphic recorder.
1
U.S. BUREAU OP MINES, Report of Investigations No. 3555: Use of
Subaudible Noises for Prediction of Rock Bursts. By Leonard OBERT,
Jan.
1941.
2
Idem, No. 3654: Use of Subaudible Noises for the Prediction of Rock
Bursts, Part II. By Leonard OBBRT and Wilbur DUVAU,, July 1942.
ACCIDENTS IN
19421
As usual the National Safety Council have
succeeded in achieving a vivid presentation of
the year's accident experience and they will
certainly not be to blame if the general public
remain oblivious to the tremendous economic
and social wastage that recurs year after year
with unfailing regularity. This year the Council
provide easily understandable statistical material on occupational, motor vehicle, aviation,
railroad, home, school, farm and miscellaneous
public accidents. All these accidents together
are estimated to have destroyed over one week's
achievement of the entire United States war
effort.
The general accident record of the United
States in 1942 is summarised in the following
figures, in which, however, there is some duplication.
Severity of
injury
Motor
vehicle
Public
(except
motor
vehicle)
Home
Occupational
Total
18,500
93,000
Deaths
14,000
30,000
28,200
Non-fatal injuries
1,000,000 1,700,000 4,550,000 1,750,000 9,100,000
Permanent
70,000
320,000
50,000
120,000
80,000
disabilities . .
Temporary
total disabi900,000 1,650,000 4,450,000 1,700,000 8,750,000
AU injuries... 1,000,000 1,700,000 4,600,000 1,800,000 9,200,000
Occupational Accidents.
The total economic cost of the occupational
accidents is estimated at $2,300,000,000. Nevertheless, workers still appear to be safer in the
factory than out of it, for "off the job" 26,500
were killed, 90,000 incurred permanent disabilities and 2,100,000, temporary disabilities.
According to calculations based on individual
company reports the lowest frequency rates were
achieved by the tobacco industry (5.32), followed
by glass (7.01), steel (7.37), cement (7.59),
automobiles (7.72), aircraft manufacturing (9.53)
and chemicals (9.90). The highest frequency
rates occurred in lumbering (54.69), mining
1
NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL, Chicago: Accident Pacts, 1943 edition.
For 1941, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 2, p. 77.
29
OFFICIAL REPORTS
(50.86), and refrigeration (44.22). The average
rate for all reporting industries was 14.85.
Laundries had the lowest severity rate (0.14)
and the next best were tobacco (0.25), printing
and publishing (0.48), and glass (0.50). Mining
had the worst severity rate (10.52), over twice
as high as the next industry, cement, with (5.11).
Lumbering (3.95) was third from the bottom;
refrigeration (3.55), fourth; and quarries (3.42),
fifth. The average rate for all reporting industries was 1.49.
An analysis of limited numbers of accidents
over the period 1937-1941 on the basis of the
American Standards Association code for compiling industrial accident causes establishes the
following relationship between various unsafe
acts, personal shortcomings and material conditions :
All industries
Unsafe act or cause
Number
Unnecessary exposure to danger.
Unsafe, or improper use of equipment
Working on moving or dangerous
equipment
Non-use of personal protective
Per cent.
796
25
467
15
428
14
275
284
214
9
9
7
157
93
398
5
3
13
Total accidents
3,112
100
Improper attitude
Lack of knowledge or skill
Bodily defects
2,376
1,457
102
883
50
30
2
18
4,818
100
1,634
1,214
747
277
34
25
15
6
32
914
1
19
4,818
100
Improper starting or stopping. . .
Overloading, poor arrangement. .
Making safety devices inoperative
Operating at unsafe speed
Total accidents
Hazardous arrangement
cedure
Defective agencies
Unsafe dress or apparel
Improper illumination,
tion
No mechanical cause
or pro-
ventila-
Total accidents
Agricultural
Number of accidents :
Personal and mechanical causes
injuries and a 31 per cent, increase in manhours. Estimates from other sources give a 19
per cent, increase of fatal accidents in manufacturing industries and a 3 per cent, increase for
all industries; a 19 per cent, increase of manhours in manufacturing industries and a 5 per
cent, increase in all industries. For Safety
Council firms the frequency rate per million manhours decreased 2 per cent, while the severity
rate increased 3 per cent.
The highest increases in the frequency rates
occurred in the cement industry (30 per cent.),
quarrying (27 per cent.) and chemicals (26 per
cent.). Most other industries also had increases.
Severity rates increased most in the cement
industry (136 per cent.), clay products (89 per
cent.), tanning and leather (48 per cent.), and
refrigeration (45 per cent.).
Frequency rates decreased most in the construction industry (33 per cent.). Several industries had lower severity rates; the best gains
were made in lumbering (25 per cent.), meat
packing (24 per cent.), woodworking (19 per
cent.), and food (19 per cent.).
Despite various increases in 1942, the general
rates for that year were far below the base year
1926. Taking 1926 as 100, the general.frequency
rate among companies reporting to the National
Safety Council was only 33 and the severity rate
49. Clay products is an industry with a steeply
rising frequency rate: with 1928-100, the
figures for the last three years have been 194071, 1941-103, 1942-126.
The following industries had higher severity
rates than those for their base years: clay products (base 1928) 101, mining (base 1926) 207,
refrigeration (base 1928) 106, tanning and
leather (base 1926) 153, textiles (base 1926) 129.
The greatest improvements in both frequency
and severity rates have been shown by construction which had only 13 per cent, of the
1926 frequency rate and only 18 per cent, of the
1926 severity rate.
3,112
4,818
z
As compared with 1941 there appears to have
been a general increase in both fatal and nonfatal accidents, but the increase is offset to a
large extent by increases in man-hours. Firms
reporting to the National Safety Council recorded a 43 per cent, increase in occupational
fatalities, a 29 per cent, increase in non-fatal
Accidents.
Fatal accidents to the farming population
totalled about 18,000 in 1942, a decrease of about
8 per cent, from 1941. Of these, 7,500 were classified as home accidents, 5,000 as motor vehicle
accidents, 4,400 as work accidents (including
900 also classified as motor vehicle accidents)
and 2,000 as other public accidents. Agriculture
accounted for 16 per cent, of the entire employed
population and 24 per cent, of all occupational
30
fatalities. The occupational death rate is thus
well above the average for all industries taken
together.
The percentage distribution of causes of farm
work and home accidents in Illinois has been
calculated as follows:
Cause
Machinery
Livestock
Falls
Burns and explosions.
Firearms
Falling objects
Hand tools
Lightning
Others
Fatal
accidents
Non-fatal
accidents
18
18
14
13
9
6
0
4
17
31
22
21
3
2
3
6
1
11
Figures of farm home accidents compiled bythree State Health Departments give the following percentage distribution of causes of fatal
accidents: falls 39, burns 25, firearms 7, poisons
6, mechanical suffocation 4, and others 19.
Motor Vehicle Accidents.
In 1942 motor vehicle mileage declined by 17
per cent, as compared with 1941, and fatal
accidents declined by 29 per cent. The mileage
was about the same as in 1937, but the fatality
rate was 29 per cent, lower than for that year.
Of the 28,200 persons killed in motor vehicle
accidents, 10,600 were killed in a vehicle-pedestrian combination, 7,250 in a two-vehicle combination, 1,780 in a railroad-vehicle combination, and 8,570 in other types of accident. The
fatal accident risk is still highest in the age
group 65 years and over. In 1942 the death
rate in this group from motor vehicle accidents
was 44.7 as compared with 26.5 for the group
45-64, 19 for the group 25-44, 24.8 for the group
15-24, 9.7 for the group 5-14 and 9.2 for the
group 0-4. The rate for all groups together
was 21.0.
In two out of every three fatal accidents the
driver was found to have violated a traffic law.
Driver offences are classified as follows :
Offence
Excessive speed
Right of way
Under influence of a l c o h o l . . . .
Wrong side of road
Improper passing
Disregarded officer or traffic
control device
Other violations
No reported violation
Cities
Rural
Per cent. Per cent.
18
26
12
4
9
5
9
2
4
3
4
12
50
5
10
42
Note: Owing to multiple offences the percentages do not add up to 100.
It was found that one person in every five
involved in a fatal accident had been drinking.
Home Accidents.
Of the 30,000 fatal home accidents, 15,950
were classified as falls, 5,300 as burns, 1,400 as
poisoning (otherwise than by gas), 1,100 as due
to firearms, 1,350 as mechanical suffocation, 700
as other types of suffocation, 1,000 as gas poisoning, and 3,000 as due to other causes. Of the falls,
84 per cent, were in the age group 65 and over.
Burns were most frequent among the groups
0-4 years (28 per cent.) and 65 and over (26
per cent.). The 0-4 group also had the highest
percentage of poisonings (32), followed by 25-44
(25) and 45-64 (21).
According to investigations in Chicago, out of
every 100 home accidents resulting in hospital
cases, 64 were found to have mechanical causes,
the most frequent being disorder (18), improper
equipment (10), and improper use of equipment
(10). Personal causes were assigned in 68 per
cent, of these accidents, poor judgment coming
easily first (24).
Illinois
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN
19421
Statistics of industrial accidents and diseases
in 1942 are presented in 36 tables and 7 charts.
The report stresses the value of complete accident data but points out that under existing
legislation in Ohio it is only possible to publish
statistics relating to compensable accidents in
public and extra hazardous industries. Even
for these accidents the accident cause data are
considered insufficient, and it has not been
possible to compile frequency rates.
Since 1938 there has been an upward trend
in accident totals, from 32,848 to 49,877 in 1942,
and since 1940 accidents have increased faster
than employment. However, hours of exposure
have also increased, and it is estimated that the
general frequency rate was 4 per cent, lower in
1942 than in 1941. The aggregate lost time due
to accidents for which compensation cases were
closed in 1942 is reckoned at over 46,000 manyears.
The percentage distribution of accidents, and
compensation by accident cause for compensation cases closed in 1942 was as follows:
1
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR: Annual Report on
Accidents in Illinois for 1942. Aug. 1943.
Industrial
OFFICIAL
31
REPORTS
New Y o r k
Compensation
Cause
Handling objects
Machinery
Falls of persons
Vehicles
Harmful and dangerous substances1
Falling objects
Striking against objects
H a n d tools
All other causes
1
26.
19.
17
7
14.3
24.1
21.4
12.0
7
5
5
4
6
7.4
8.1
2.8
3.3
6.6
Includes electricity, explosives and occupational diseases.
The accidents due to handling objects totalled
11,434.
The causes fall into the following
groups :
Heavy Objects
Strain in handling
3,789
Objects dropped
1,955
Caught between object handled and other. 1,100
Objects falling from load or pile
997
Other
577
Total
Sharp or rough objects
Sheet metal and products
Wood slivers
Metal slivers
Protruding wires
Bones
Nails
Pins and needles
Glass
Other
Total
8,418
277
212
167
Ill
93
65
62
40
483
1,510
Hand trucks, etc.
Struck by truck handled by injured
384
Objects falling from
204
Caught between truck and other o b j e c t . . . . 195
Struck by truck (co-worker)
90
Overturning
82
Other
278
Total
1,233
Fragile objects, etc
273
Of 3,547 women's compensation cases closed
in 1942, 1,019 or 28.8 per cent, resulted from falls
of persons, 935 or 26.4 per cent, from machinery,
and 618 or 17.4 per cent, from handling objects.
Punch and other presses accounted for 231 of
the machine accidents, mangles for 63, miscellaneous cutters for 57, drill presses for 41, slicing
machines for 35, and lawnmowers for 33.
Reported accidents to persons under 18 years
of age numbered 998, of which 309 were due to
machinery, 220 to handling objects, 118 to falls
of persons, and 80 to vehicles.
ANNUAL
REPORT OF THE INDUSTRIAL
MISSIONER, 19421
COM-
In the promotion of industrial health and
safety the New York State Department of
Labor acts through the following organisations:
Board of Standards and Appeals which, inter
alia, promulgates Code Rules that have the
force of law.
Bureau of Code Research which reviews administrative experience as to causes of accidents
and disease, conducts extensive research studies
on particular problems, submits code proposals
to the Board of Standards and Appeals, reviews
existing Code Rules in the light of current practice and experience, and makes recommendations for amendments.
Division of Industrial Hygiene which advises
industry and employees' organisations on the
prevention of occupational diseases and unhealthy conditions and practices not necessarily
covered by Industrial Code Rules.
Division of Engineering which examines plans
for the construction of new and alteration of
existing factory and mercantile buildings and
places to be used for public assembly to determine whether proper provision has been made
for exits, sanitary facilities, etc.
Division of Inspection which enforces compliance with legislation on safety, sanitation, etc.
By way of introduction to her report, the
Industrial Commissioner remarks that the Industrial Codes are only minimum standards
capable of general enforcement. Good employers
go beyond them and inspectors are encouraged
not to be content to be simply enforcement
officers but to be safety inspectors as well and
to induce both employers' and employees' organisations to seek the aid of the Department in
the solution of their problems; to distribute
pamphlets; and to participate in labour and
industrial meetings.
The Commissioner is convinced that there
must be more intensive work done in the fields
of safety and health. In this connection consideration has been given to State-wide and
local safety exhibitions and meetings, education of employers and workers, and safety committees to be set up under labour agreements.
The Commissioner stresses the link between
production, safety, health, and welfare when
she says:
1
N B W YORK STATB DEPARTMENT of LAROR: Legislative Document
(1943), No. 71.
32
Of leading importance in war as in peace is the provision of proper safeguards for the health and welfare of the
State's great labour force. This is urgent not from any
selfish individual standpoint but in the light of experience
throughout the period of industrialised production.
Optimum production of goods, optimum use of limited
plant and equipment, optimum employee relations and
therefore optimum realisation of our vital War Production
Program can be realised only by a reasonably healthy,
accident free, unfatigued, well-fed and decently housed
working force.
to plants desiring them. These include medical,
chemical and engineering plant surveys, dust
counts, air analyses and physical examinations
of workers.
Plant Visits. Requests by plants for plant
investigations in response to the above letter
have taken precedence over all other activities
of the Division. In addition, visits have been
made to other war plants, as required, with a
view to the detection, control and prevention
The Division of Workmen's Compensation of health hazards.
Consultations with Plant Physicians.
In the
received reports of no fewer than 713,741 accidents (as against 635,983 in 1941, 528,467 course of plant visits by physicians of the Diviin 1940 and 372,382 in 1935) and 100,051 sion, consultations were arranged with plant
led to compensation payments amounting to physicians and nurses with a view to improving
the medical office—not only as it involves the
$36,892,782.
During the year the Division of Industrial treatment of injuries, but in order to improve
Hygiene devoted most of its time to the pro- reporting and record keeping. Attention has
tection of the health of workers in war factories. also been directed to improving the quality
The special health problems of the war industries of the pre-employment physical examination—
were found to aris.e from circumstances such as : especially in the matter of more equitable
(1) the use of new andunfamiliar toxic substances, criteria for rejection of applicants for employsome of which are required by War Department ment on the basis of such examination. In the
specifications; (2) the introduction of unsus- course of these consultations, physicians of the
pected health hazards resulting from the sudden Division have assisted plant doctors by giving
use of unusually large amounts of toxic chemical them the necessary toxicological data on subsubstances, which in small amounts formerly stances used in their plants, together with inpresented no health hazards; (3) the reduction formation as to the early detection of injury to
in air space per worker due to the increase in health resulting from exposure to such substances
the number of machines and workers without and suggestions as to techniques to be employed
any increase in the size of the workroom; (4) the in the early diagnosis of industrial diseases.
introduction of new machinery and new manuNutrition Consultations. Each member of the
facturing processes; (5) the construction of new technical staff visiting a war plant has carried
buildings; (6) the location of plants in remote to the plant the message of better nutrition for
areas—far from eating facilities, hospitals or the war worker, and attention has been directed
other medical services, etc.; (7) the speed with to individual plant problems in this field.
which these changes took place.
Special field studies were undertaken in conPast experience, states the Commissioner, nection with chlorinated naphthalenes and
clearly indicates that the task of conserving the diphenyls, airplane plants, industrial solvents,
health of the industrial worker requires the benzol, radium, medical services in war plants,
services of a technical personnel—physicians, industrial nutrition, etc., etc.
The safety programme of the Division inchemists, and engineers—who are specialists in
industrial hygiene, and are thoroughly conver- cluded 264 visits to plants to discuss methods
sant with the problems of preventing accidents of accident prevention; investigation of 291
and occupational diseases. Accordingly, the accidents; inspection of 147 trade schools to
Division of Industrial Hygiene placed its tech- ensure safe practices in the use of proper manical staff at the disposal of the war industries chine guards, etc.; designing of safety devices
for soaking vats, power presses and grommet
and developed the following services:
machines; and testing of safety devices for
Service Letter. As the names of all plants in power presses.
This programme was supplemented by an
New York State receiving primary Government
war contracts reach the Division, a letter is sent educational programme which included the
out explaining the technical services which the publication and distribution of technical maDivision is prepared to offer, without charge, terial, among which were engineering drawings
33
OFFICIAL BEPORTS
for the control of noxious dusts, gases, and
fumes in typical industrial processes; instruction to groups of physicians, medical students,
nurses, etc., on the toxicology of industrial
poisons; diagnosis of occupational diseases;
medical services in plants and first aid; methods
of air analysis; engineering control procedures;
etc. In addition, general lectures on industrial
hygiene were given to labour unions, groups of
factory workers, industrialists, and various
other groups interested.
In 1942 the Inspection Division made 234,545
inspections of undertakings, workplaces, etc.,
employing 2,389,709 workers. Factories were
the subject of 62,197 inspections, mercantile
and other establishments, 97,976 and building
construction 62,601.
COMPENSATED ACCIDENTS IN
19421
An analysis of accidents occurring in the State
of New York in 1942 is given in a report by the
Division of Statistics and Information, New
York State Department of Labor. 2
The total amount of compensation awarded
in the 100,051 cases closed during 1942 was
$36,892,782, as compared with $28,065,133
awarded in 79,280 accidents during 1940. The
total number of compensated cases was the
highest since 1930 when 107,312 cases were
closed. Death and permanent total disability
cases totalled 840, permanent partial disability
cases 28,280 and temporary disability cases
i The Industrial Bulletin, May 1943, pp. 203-205; July 1943, pp.
289-291.
' For 1940. see Industrial Safely Survey, Vol. XVIII, p. 3, No. 107.
70,931. The corresponding figures for the year
1940 were 764, 22,670 and 55,846 respectively.
Compensated accidents classified according
to the Standard Industry Classification are given
in the following table:
Kind of disability
Industry
Death and Permanent Temporpermanent partial
ary
Total
Manufacturing
Metals and machinery.
All other manufacturing.
87
126
6,276
6,824
9,972
17,727
16,335
24,677
Total manufacturing:
213
13,100
27,699
41,012
Non-manufacturing
Wholesale and retail
145
4,031
14,581
18,757
213
125
4,871
3,411
13.233
8,029
18,317
11,565
107
2,394
6,318
8,819
5
30
165
271
575
362
745
663
Total non-manufacturing:
625
15,143
43,098
58,866
Type of work not specified
2
37
134
173
840
28,280
70,931
100,051
Service industries inch
Gov't
Construction
Transportation, communication, andother
public utilities
Agriculture,
forestry
Mining and quarrying.
Total
An analysis of the accidents by district shows
that nearly two thirds of all industrial injuries
occurred in the New York City industrial area.
Of the total number of accidents compensated,
8,816 (including 30 deaths) were to minors. Of
these, 384 were to persons under 17 years of age,
2,860 to persons between 17 and 18 years of age
and 5,572 to persons 19 to 20 years of age. Compensation for temporary disability was awarded
in 6,653 cases and for permanent disability in
2,133 cases.
34
REVIEW OF PERIODICALS
La Seguridad Industrial en la Argentina.
(Revista
del Institute Argentino de Seguridad, January 1943, pp.
15-19.)
This article, contributed by the Industrial Union of
Argentina, mentions an exhibition organised in Buenos
Aires in 1942 by the Federal Department of Labour and
stresses the success it achieved in making industrial chiefs
safety conscious. Interest in safety measures was also
aroused by the fact t h a t in Buenos Aires, from 1935 to
1941, the number of accidents rose 36 per cent, while the
number of workmen employed increased by only 17 per
cent.
Large industrial plants were the first to give attention
to this matter and one metallurgical establishment succeeded in the last 5 years in reducing its accidents from 174
to 56 per million man hours, i.e., by 67 per cent.
An article by Torcuato di T E L L A . Î S quoted in which
the author emphasises t h a t it is far more logical to prevent accidents than to compensate them, not only from
a social but also from an economic point of view. He
believes that the main cause of accidents is not the machinery employed but the human and psychological
factors involved. Statistics show that 70 out of every 100
accidents are attributed to the human factor.
From the economic point of view accident prevention
is as important as from the personal or 'human'. Thus,
in the United States of America, over a period of 10 years
the number of fatalities due to accidents doubled the
number of casualties in the war of 1914-1918 and the cost
to the nation of these accidents was greater than the cost
of the war.
I t is shown, however, t h a t safety campaigns and safety
measures have greatly reduced accident rates: one example
being a metallurgical plant in the U.S.A. whose accident
frequency rate fell from 60.3 in 1913 to 7.2 in 1936. Attention is also drawn to the fact t h a t the greatest number of
accidents occurs to workers with less than one year of
experience.
In conclusion, a solution to the accident problem in
Argentina is suggested along the following lines:
(1) Organised safety education for workers;
(2) Safe machinery and equipment;
(3) Selection of personnel according to individual
capabilities;
(4) Constant supervision of workers' health records;
(5) Immediate care of even 'minor' accidents.
Leistung u n d Sicherheit i m Bergbau. By Dr. Rudolf
M E Y E R . (Zeitschrift für das Berg-, Hütten- and Salinenwesen im Deutschen Reich, Vol. 90, No. 5, p. 97, 1942.)
The author argues t h a t accident prevention is not less,
but more, important in war time than in peace time, if
only because of the overriding demands of production;
and further t h a t safety and output are not two entirely
different things but are indissolubly linked together. The
essential prerequisites of both are education, training,
order (including tidiness and cleanliness), discipline,
morale, and generally, a sound social instinct. Great importance is attached to the role that experienced workers
can play in all t h a t has to do with training, discipline,
and morale.
I t is also very necessary t h a t accident prevention should
not be looked upon only as a means of saving one's skin.
I t is a social duty, especially for the experienced men; they
have the means of helping the inexperienced and the weak,
and thus of contributing to the well-being of the working
community, and of serving the general interests of the
nation.
The author goes on to discuss various psychological
causes of accidents, such as defective training, ignorance
of danger, irresolution, stupidity, inattentiveness, overkeenness, indifference, laziness, and foolhardiness. He
gives some case histories of accident-prone workers, and
recommends that such workers should be weeded out by
means of statistical analyses, and employed on work in
which they can do relatively little harm.
Lastly the author stresses the need for meticulous compliance with rules and regulations. It is the task of those
responsible for education and training to see t h a t rules
and regulations are properly understood and, what is
perhaps more important, properly appreciated.
H e a l t h and Safety in Mineral Exploitation: Probl e m s of Silicosis and Explosives.
By Dr. William
CULLEN. (The South African Mining and Engineering
Journal, 1 January 1944, p. 389.)
Dr. Cullen briefly reviews the war against silicosis
during the last 50 years, with special reference to the significance of sericite; and then deals at some length with the
health and safety aspects of mining explosives, and their
substitutes—hydraulic pressure, liquid CO2 and nitrogen.
His conclusion is t h a t substitutes have very limited possibilities, and t h a t the sheathed explosive is so far the best
practical solution of the mining explosive problem.
Organisation and C o n d u c t of F i r e - F i g h t i n g in
Mines. By W. RILEY. (The Iron and Coal Trades
Review, 19 and 26 November 1943. pp. 787 and 833.)
In the light of long experience the author makes many
practical suggestions for the organisation of fire-fighting
services and the treatment of fires from the moment of
outbreak. He deals with preliminary precautions, such
as the provision of fire-fighting equipment and material;
the training of mine fire brigades; the functions of various
colliery officials; "first aid" in fire fighting; and the handling of serious fires and explosions. Particular mention
is made of the use of compressed-air mains as water mains
in emergencies.
Complete Roof Control at t h e Coal Face: Use of RailHead Adjustable Props. By Wm. A. MACHIN.
(The
Iron and Coal Trades Review, 3 December 1943, p. 865.)
Describes, with illustrations, the construction and use of
a prop-and-rail system of face supports. On over-cut faces
the rails are extended to the depth of the cut, thus affording
roof support before the coal is taken down. The author
strongly recommends solid, power packing of the waste.
Diagnosis and Prevention of Failures in Colliery
Wire Ropes. By A. E . MCCLELLAND. (The Iron and
Coal Trades Review, 5, 12, 19 November, 1943, pp. 707,
751, 793.)
The author discusses
the following heads: (1)
(4) corrosion-fatigue, (5)
overloads, and (7) faulty
causes of rope breakage under
wear, (2) corrosion, (3) fatigue,
surface embrittlement, (6) single
capping.
D o w n t h e Ways w i t h Safety. By H. W. FUSON. (Safety
Engineering, December 1943, p. 13.)
Detailed practical hints on the prevention and fighting
of fires in ship construction and repair.
Nuevo Método de R e s u c i t a c i ô n e n lo Alto del Poste.
By Howard M I L L E R . (Renista del Institute Argentino de
Seguridad, September 1943, p. H . )
Illustrated description of a new method, developed by
the Southern California Edison Company, of administering
artificial respiration to linemen who lose consciousness
while working on masts or poles carrying overhead transmission lines.
Plastics F i g h t for Safety.
No. 1, July 194.3, p. 14.)
{Safety Engineering,
Vol. 86,
Transparent plastic is becoming one of the favourite
materials in the making of safety devices. Its absolute
transparency and high impact strength are very attractive
' qualities and the facility with which it can be moulded and
cut greatly enhances its value.
In many aircraft plants in the United States it is being
used in making shields and safety devices of all kinds.
Among the most functional of these protective devices
are hoods and guards made of a sturdy transparent plastic
sheet. The material affords full visibility and gives protection from almost anything from flying tacks to spattered
molten metal, yet is light enough to be easily lifted from
its position to permit oiling, pouring, inspection or repairs
to machinery.
Augenschutzvorrichtung
an
Schleifmaschinen.
(Deutsche Bergwerks-Zeitung, No. 172, 1943, p. 4.)
Description, with one illustration, of a new eye protection shield for abrasive wheels. The new device is constructed of non-splintering glass in a sturdy frame, and
adjusted at such a distance from the wheel that it will not
be "blinded" by sparking. The frame is so connected with
the starting mechanism of the grinding machine that
grinding can only be carried out when the shield is in the
"protective" position.
II Problema della Sicurezza alle Molatrici.
By E .
FAGIOLI. (Securitas, December 1942, p. 261.)
Deals briefly with causes of abrasive wheel bursts and
describes with illustrations the safety features of some
recent Italian grinding machines.
D e r m a t i t i s due to t h e Formaldehyde Resins. By Kenneth E . MARKUSON, M.D., M.P.H., Thomas F . M A N cuso, M.D., and John S. SOET. (Industrial
Medicine,
Vol. 12, No. 6, June 1943, p. 383.)
The results of a study made by the Bureau of Industrial
Hygiene, Michigan Department of Health, on the toxic
qualities of the formaldehyde resins are outlined in this
article.
The dusts and fumes of these resins cause a skin rash
which may last from several days to a few months and in
some cases becomes severe enough to require hospitalisation.
The following methods of prevention or control are
suggested :
Medical:
(1) Personal hygiene—adequate washing facilities,
regular washing schedules and showers if possible;
(2) Protective clothing—this should be furnished by
the management which should also be responsible for
laundering, etc.;
(3) Protective creams and ointments—these should
be used on the face or other parts which are not covered
by protective clothing;
(4) Proper operative technique to reduce the frequency of contact;
(5) Adequate and sufficient education and supervision of personal hygiene.
Engineering:
(1) Enclosure of all mixing operations to prevent the
dry resinous powder from contaminating the atmosphere around the worker;
(2) Adequate ventilation a t or around grinding and
sanding operations;
35
(3) Adequate enclosure and exhaust systems for
operations requiring the heating of material containing
resins;
(4) Segregation into one area of all operations requiring the heating or drying of the material;
(5) Use of mechanical installations wherever possible
in order to reduce handling of, and exposure to, formaldehyde resins;
(6) Regular periodic removal of dust accumulation.
Hydrogen Fluoride Exposure.—Prevention in t h e
Operation of H. F. Alkylation P l a n t s .
By Roy
BENSON. (Industrial Medicine, January 1944, p. 113.)
An illustrated account of the properties of hydrogen
fluoride, the exhaust and neutralisation equipment required for safety in its industrial use, various types of protective clothing and the operations for which each is most
suitable, and lastly first-aid methods. The author also
suggests some general precautions such as testing for leaks,
medical examinations, disposal of waste materials and
identification of piping.
Safety Measures for Use of Chlorinated N a p h t h a lenes and Diphenyls in Industry.
By Leonard
GREENBURG, M.D., Executive Director, Division of
Industrial Hygiene, N.Y. State Department of Labor.
(The Industrial Bulletin, October 1943, pp. 404-406.)
The properties, methods of use in industry, and the
toxic and systemic effects of chlorinated naphthalenes and
diphenyls are briefly described. These substances have
caused many cases of dermatitis and even several deaths
due to damage to the liver.
The conclusions drawn are, t h a t chlorinated naphthalenes and diphenyls are highly toxic and should be handled
very carefully, t h a t toxic exposures can be more readily
controlled when the cold method of impregnation is used,
and that the known cases of liver disease caused by these
substances, were due to vapours and fumes from the hot
process of impregnation.
The author makes various recommendations for the
safe use of these compounds. The importance of engineering control of plant operations is stressed as are the instruction of foremen in the safe way of handling the substances, pre-employment and periodic medical examinations, and specific hygiene measures.
A bibliography on the subject is added to the article.
Unfälle durch u n s a c h g e m ä s s e B e h a n d l u n g von
Handfeuerlöschern. By Dipl. Ing. BERTRAM, Berlin.
(Die Berufsgenossenschaft, Vol. 58, No. 5/6, 15 March
1943, p. 46.)
This is a description of several accidents, some of them
fatal, caused by inappropriate handling and inadequate
maintenance of portable fire extinguishers. T h e accidents
occurred with four types of extinguisher: a dry-powder
extinguisher exploded because of excessive corrosion of
the safety valve—two persons injured; during repairs to
the walls of a workroom, a soda-acid-type extinguisher
left during the winter in the unheated room fell down and
exploded as the contents were still frozen—one person
injured; when checking fire extinguishers in an aircraft
plant a fireman attempted to refill a carbon-tetrachloride
extinguisher by attaching it to a battery of compressedair cylinders under a pressure of 150 atm.—fireman killed
in the ensuing explosion; after a magnesium fire in a factory, some firemen recharging the special extinguishers used
in "the fire, attached these directly to a compressed-air
cylinder (an operation which afterwards was found to
have been used for some considerable time)—and one
extinguisher exploded, killing a fireman on the spot.
Medical First Aid in Eye Accidents and Injuries.
By J. M. CARLISLE, M.D. (The Sight-Saving Review,
Vol. X I I I , No. 2, p. 75; extracted from 'Medical First
Aid' in Industrial Medicine, February 1943.)
A concise set of rules and recommendations arranged
in the following groups: first-aid treatment at the scene
of the accident; treatment of chemical injuries in the plant
36
medical department (acids, alkalis, alkaloids, lime, lacrimators, etc.) ; first-aid and definitive treatment for superficial foreign bodies; penetrating foreign bodies; and
corneal abrasions. The author concludes by stressing the
potential seriousness of all eye injuries and the need for
prompt and skilled treatment.
Ein Beitrag zur Schutzbrillenfrage. By Dipl.-Ing.
SCHWEEKS. (ReichsarbeitMatt, No. 11,1943, p. I l l 111.)
Describes, with illustrations, some of the German
standardised protective goggles and tests undertaken to
ascertain their fit and comfort. Refers to the general unpopularity of goggles, and specifies the requirements t h a t
they should satisfy if they are to be comfortable.
T h e Effect of t h e War o n Child-Labor Legislation
during 1943. (The Child, November 1943; and reprinted separately by the U.S. Department of Labor,
Children's Bureau.)
Reviews American Federal and State legislation including that relating to employment in hazardous industries.
Industrial Injuries: T h e Personal and Mechanical
Factors Causing T h e m .
(Michigan Labor and Industry, May 1943, pp. 3-4.)
This is a preliminary summary of a study of the causes
of 7,766 industrial accidents in Michigan. All the injuries
involved the loss of more than seven days, and the 7,196
which were declared compensable caused a loss of time
of nearly 300,000 man days.
Unsafe mechanical or physical condition of equipment
accounted for nearly 7 out of every 10 cases (69.5 per
cent.). This proportion resulted from hazardous arrangement, improper guards, unsuitable wearing apparel, etc.
Twenty per cent, of all injuries were caused by defective
agencies and 56 per cent, by hazardous arrangement
and defects in agencies together. Automobile, iron and
steel industries suffered the highest losses from these
types of injury. Improper lighting proved a negligible
cause and accidents resulting from faulty ventilation were
important only in the chemical, stone, clay and glass
industries.
In 77 per cent, of the cases unsafe acts on the part of
the injured or some other person (i.e., operating without
authority, at unsafe speed, etc.) were also contributing
factors. More than half the injuries resulted from (a)
using equipment unsafely, using unsafe equipment, or
using hands instead of equipment; (b) operating without
authority or failing to secure or warn; (c) assuming unsafe
posture or position. I t was found that where the percentage of injuries caused by unsafe personal acts was
high, the percentage caused by unsafe mechanical or
physical conditions tended to be low.
Forty-five per cent, of all machine injuries and 70 per
cent, of injuries in the hand tools group involved unsafe
equipment or unsafe use of equipment. Failure to employ
protective devices accounted for 6 per cent, of the total
injuries and also caused 47 per cent, and over 20 per cent.
respectively of the injuries involving dusts and chemical
agents.
Records—The "Seeing E y e " of Industrial Medicine.
By William J. FULTON, M . D . (Industrial
Medicine,
January 1944, p. 1.)
The author, who is Medical Director of the Eastern
Aircraft Division of General Motors Corporation, has
written an unusually instructive and stimulating article—
it is almost a booklet. He shows in very great detail what
actually has been done by co-operation between personnel
management, safety engineering and industrial medicine
to reduce the toll of accident and illness in a large aircraft
engineering works and exactly how it has been done; and
suggests how much more might be done by similar methods
and on a much larger scale in the interests of the community as a whole. In the present article he is more
particularly concerned with the compilation, analysis,
and above all the utilisation of medical statistical records.
He first of all mentions the ever extending ramifications
of industrial health and safety, and foresees t h a t continuing specialisation will eventually lead to the generalisation
of industrial surgical and medical services. The industrial
surgeon will be an evolution from the safety engineer; the
industrial physician will be the factory health officer, the
maintenance engineer of the human tools and the director
of research. Safety engineering has achieved much but
the most important tools are the human tools, which
cannot be standardised, and have to be dealt with individually. Hence industrial medical records must necessarily
be records of individual experience, each individual being
accepted as a separate and distinct physico-spiritual unit.
Turning to questions of practical organisation, the
author discusses at length the staffing and methodology
of an industrial medicine service. He then describes, with
illustrations, the many statistical forms used in his factory
—medical passes issued by foremen to sick or injured
workmen, surgical case histories, medical case histories,
dispensary redressing records, sick and injury leave passes,
absentee records, daily medical logs and reports, medical
examination records and so on. These records serve first
to determine the mental and physical characteristics of
each individual worker in the factory and secondly to
provide general accident data. They not only bring to
light the "accident prone" and the "sick prone" b u t also
indicate where in the factory accidents are happening,
at what hour of the day, at what time of the year, to what
workers, in what circumstances and from what causes.
They thus reveal both any abnormal happening to an
individual and any abnormal circumstance affecting
particular parts of the factory or particular occupations,
or peculiar to particular times of the day and year.
When any abnormality is revealed special investigations
are undertaken; if only one individual is concerned he is
interviewed and placed under observation; if several, more
general research is resorted to, the results of such researches providing the raw material of specialised safety
campaigns. In either case al! useful indications are passed
on to the Safety Department.
By way of example the author describes a number of
general researches, the safety meaures adopted in consequence of them and the results achieved.
The article is particularly useful in t h a t it describes
fully every card used, how it is filled in and what uses are
made of it. There are 56 illustrations in all. I t is difficult
in a short review to do justice to a highly condensed article
of this magnitude but special mention may be made of the
author's treatment of accident proneness—its causes, its
dangers to normal workers, its amenability to treatment.
I t is noteworthy t h a t accident-prone workers have been
found to spread what might be called accident infection
wherever they are. Of all the mental causes of accidents,
monotony is held to be the most serious.
To sum up, the author demonstrates how an industrial
medical department can entirely change the accident and
sickness record of a factory, and suggests how the application of industrial medical technique to public health might
entirely change the health record of the nation at large.
Die Z u k u n f t des U n f a l l s c h u t z e s liegt i n der Spezialisierung. (Deutsche Bergwerks-Zeitung, No. 178,
1943, p. 5.)
The necessity for specialisation in industrial safety work
was recognised, in Germany, from the very beginning.
In fact, the Mutual Industrial Accident Insurance Associations (Gewerbliche Berufsgenossenschaften) themselves were
organised from the outset according to branches of industry and besides general safety regulations they also issued
special safety regulations dealing with the particular
methods, processes and risks existing in the different branches of industrial activity.
In recent years research work respecting a series of
special problems of mutual interest has been carried out
by expert committees representing several insurance associations working together. Problems dealt with by such
special bodies include: guarding of abrasive wheels; safety
devices for metal presses and punching machines; protective measures in autogenous welding, etc.
fiEVÏEW
OF PËRtODÎCAtâ
37
The article concludes by stressing the ever increasing
necessity for specialisation in safety work, which the
author attributes to the increasing specialisation and
diversity in industry itself.
(4) Increase the size of existing safety committees;
(5) Survey your past accident record and direct your
activities accordingly;
(6) Don't forget the girls.
F u n c i ö n de la Propaganda en las C a m p a n a s de Seguridad. By Carmelo MARTÎNEZ R E Y E S . (Revista del
Instiluto Argentino de Seguridad, August 1943, p. 14.)
Safety should always be made popular and investigation
of accidents and placing of blame should give way to prevention of accidents and teaching workers skilled safe
practices.
The author, who is Publicity Director of the Argentine
Portland Cement Company, urges the importance of
propaganda in the safety movement, and suggests t h a t
it should borrow the technique of commercial propaganda,
should be based on the systematic study of accident statistics, and should form an integral part of a carefully thoughtout safety campaign. Thus, adequate accident statistics
are a prime necessity.
Sefior Reyes considers the worker's family to be a very
promising field for propaganda and goes so far as to look
upon the home as the pivot of the whole campaign. The
ultimate aim must be to achieve a deep conviction in every
worker t h a t safety is essential, and this can only be done
by education and persuasion.
El Factor Psicolôgico en los Accidentes del Trabajo. By Dr. Ismael URBANDT, Chief of the Industrial
and Social Hygiene Section of the Department of National Hygiene.
(Revista del Instituto Argentino de
Seguridad, April 1943, p. 4.)
In this brief article Dr. Urbandt draws attention to
the fact that although people often place the blame for
accidents on fate, the actual cause is in most cases to be
found in some psychological factor such as lack of attention, carelessness, negligence, sense of inferiority, etc.
The submission of man to machinery brought with it
many problems. The repetition and monotony of mechanised processes little by little result in the mechanisation
of mental activity which only an immediate danger will
shake back into consciousness.
This condition occurs
most often in old employees. Among new ones, the desire
to display their abilities and courage (also a psychological
factor) causes many disasters.
The author believes t h a t from a psychological point of
view, attention is the most important single factor in
safety. Concentration of attention on one detail alone,
however, and the neglect of others, can have serious consequences, as can have, also, an excess of attention resulting almost in a morbid obsession. Lack of attention, on
the other hand, can result in carelessness, the consequences
of which may be equally serious.
Dr. Urbandt concludes by stressing the fact that accidents produce serious moral and psychological effects
both on comrades of the victims and on the families of the
injured.
Recreation, Aid to Safety. By Floyd R. EASTWOOD.
(Safety Engineering, December 1943, p. 36.)
The author cites evidence tending to prove that physical
and mental well-being make for safety, and that suitable
recreation, which refreshes both the body and the mind,
is an aid to safety.
The article is in accord with other recent writings
suggesting that safety is to no small degree a physiological
and psychological matter.
Six Tested Ways t o Safety. By John B. D U N N E . (Factory Management and Maintenance, July 1943, p. 124.)
The author of this article believes that a rapid return
to "personalised" safety programmes would do much to
stem the rising tide of industrial accidents. Safety practices are best learned with personal contact.
Means of achieving this personal approach are given
as follows:
(1)
(2)
ers;
(3)
safety
Capture the interest of the new employee;
Place new men under the guidance of safe workPlace new employees under a programme of
and first-aid training;
W o m e n go to Bat. By Lillian STEMI«. (Safely Engineering.
October 1943, p. 15.)
An interesting account of a works safety organisation
on the usual American lines but run by a woman and
catering for both men and women employees.
Safety o n t h e Work Front. By W. L. LOVETT.
chigan Labor and Industry, June 1943, p. 5.)
(Mi-
In this brief article, the author stresses the importance
of plant-wide co-operation in the organisation of a safety
programme. The first essential step in this regard is for
the safety director to make a survey of the plant, following which recommendations regarding working conditions,
equipment, etc., should be turned over to the management
for immediate action. In fast growing plants, surveys and
recommendations should be made every day.
A list of the most important occupational hazards is
included in the article together with a plan for periodic
industrial hygiene surveys.
Every plant should have a safety committee consisting
of foremen, leaders, union representatives, maintenance
men and chemists, if possible. The services of a physician,
even on a part-time basis should be obtained, and special
care should be given to the maintenance of a plant dispensary and emergency rooms.
The duties of the Safety Department when an accident
occurs, are briefly described.
I n conclusion, Mr. Lovett draws attention to the fact
t h a t a safety programme cannot be built in a day, and
emphasises the importance of the foreman as the key man
in safety work.
de su Ayuda y C o m o Lograrla. (Revista del Instiluto
Argentino de Seguridad, Vol. I, No. 10, p. 12.)
This short article emphasises the point that safety
measures in a factory should originate with the management. I t is suggested t h a t the advantages of safety measures be pointed out to administrators, who tend to be
indifferent to this matter, by quoting specific examples
where marked reduction in accidents was a direct result
of the adoption of a safety programme.
Several companies are mentioned in this connection
where substantial improvement has actually occurred.
A plan for a safety campaign is outlined as follows:
(1) An initial meeting should be called by the management and attended by all foremen and section
heads. At this meeting a safety programme should
be drawn up and plans made to hold regular meetings, where points and suggestions will be carefully
considered;
(2) A campaign of safety education should be launched
among the workers, emphasising the point t h a t
individual co-operation is necessary to the success
of such a campaign. Welfare officers should be appointed and specific safety plans outlined during
this period;
(3) The management should constantly give full and
active support to all safety work, thus affording the
workers an excellent example. The superintendent
should assist at all meetings and the higher officials
at as many as possible.
I t is suggested further, that a careful record be kept
of the progress made after the launching of the safety
campaign as well as of all major accidents, and that the
records be submitted weekly to the management.
38
Fremdsprachige Arbeiter in deutschen Betrieben.
By Dipl.-Ing. FEDER. (Reichsarbeitsblatt, No. 11, 1943,
p. I l l 103.)
Describes some of the difficulties of making foreign
workers acquainted with German safety regulations and
some of the means adopted to overcome these difficulties.
Safety Speaks in Arabic. By A. L. ANDERSON. (National
Safety News, December 1943, p. 16.)
An interesting account, with illustrations, of the safety
poster campaign devised by the California Arabian Standard Oil Company in Saudi Arabia to meet local conditions
and to suit the mentality of local workmen.
No Ouitting Time for Safety. By Thomas J. SINCLAIR.
(National Safety News, December 1943, p. 22.)
Reviews the various methods employed by American
firms with a view to reducing off-the-job accidents to their
employees. The article is both useful and interesting as
giving the opinions of firms on the relative value of posters,
leaflets, films, plant meetings, company magazines, etc.
Most workers seemed to appreciate the company's interest
in their welfare outside the factory and only a minority
were resentful of what they considered unwarranted interference. Opinions varied as to the practical results achieved,
but there was, almost general agreement that off-the-job
safety campaigns were worth while and should be continued.
RECENT BOOKS
1021 Answers to Industrial Health and Safety Problems. Edited by Jack E. WEISS and others. Occupational Hazards Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, 1943. x + 699
pp., 327 illustrations.
The authors of this substantial volume have devised a
safety and health manual in the form of question and
answer. The subject matter is arranged in twelve sections
of which eight (about 480 questions) are mainly concerned with health and medical questions such as skin
diseases, dusts, metal poisoning, solvents, and first aid;
and four (about 540 questions) with accident prevention.
These deal with personal protective equipment, mechanical safety, tool protection, and plant safety. The mechanical equipment to which the authors pay most attention
comprises abrasive wheels, steam boilers, presses, pressure
vessels, electrical equipment, ropes and hoisting apparatus.
The section on tool protection deals mostly with gas
and electric welding, but also has something to say about
hand tools, including electric hand tools.
Under the head of plant safety, the authors discuss
identification of piping systems, maintenance and repair,
elevators, fire prevention, explosive hazards, and precautions against falls.
The health and medical sections have useful bibliographies, but the literature of accident prevention is so large
that the authors have not attempted to make any selection from it.
The volume closes with classified lists of hazards (chiefly
hazardous substances) by industry and by occupation.
In addition to more than 300 photographs, there are
numerous data sheets and tables and a detailed index.
There is a wealth of useful information in the book,
which is an interesting experiment in technique and must
have cost the authors much thought and labour. In the
four sections devoted to accident prevention there is only
room for the most general topics. I t may be that the
authors will later carry their experiment a stage further by
working out more detailed questionnaires on specific topics.
Mines. U.S. Bureau of Mines. R.I. 3734, December
1943, 15 pp.
Briefly discusses the advantages of earthing or grounding and some defects of existing methods. Describes tests
undertaken to ascertain the reliability of grounding coalcutting and loading machines by connecting them electrically to track-mounted cable-reel trucks.
These tests led to the following conclusions:
1. Metal parts of loading and shortwall mining
machines merely resting or being manoeuvered on the
mine floor do not establish a connection with the earth
,of a sufficiently low resistance to make an effective
ground.
2. A single peg or rod driven in the ground or mine
floor gives no assurance of making a connection with
earth of sufficiently low resistance to be satisfactory
as a grounding electrode.
3. Fish-plated, unbonded track in most instances
shows a sufficiently low resistance contact with the
earth to form a satisfactory grounding electrode.
4. It is further concluded that the only dependable
methods to be employed in determining the effectiveness
of a protective ground, whether for surface or underground equipment, is to measure the resistance of the
grounding connection. In other words, although visual
inspection or examination is necessary in determining
whether grounding connections have been disturbed or
damaged, such inspection of itself does not give any real
measure of the effectiveness of protective grounds that
are intact. Moreover, to prevent dangerous electric
potential differences occurrring between earth and frames
of machines that are not track-mounted, a separate conductor should be connected between the frame of the
machine and a grounding electrode of proven low resistance.
In many instances, a conductor joining the frame
of a shortwall mining machine to that of its cable-reel
truck will prove acceptable for grounding that machine
to the track. The presence of coal and dirt under the
wheels of the truck could make this method of grounding
ineffective. ' Therefore, a more positive method would
be to use a grounding conductor long enough to permit
attachment to bonded track, especially if there is any
doubt that the room track would make satisfactory
contact with other track and with the floor.
Resistance measurements of all permanent grounding
connections for surface equipment should be made at
regular intervals throughout the year, especially during
spring seasons, to be certain that the resistance has not
risen to unsafe values. By such periodic checking, it
w^ll also be possible to detect broken grounding connections.
Whether the strata underlying other coal beds have
greater conductivity than those investigated, or whether
a suitable grounding electrode could be prepared for
use in those investigated, requires more extensive
study.
39
RECENT BOOKS
T h e Principles a n d Practice of Industrial Medicine.
Edited by Fred J. WAMPLER, M . D . The WilliamB and
Wilking Company, Baltimore, 1943. 579 pp.
In recent years, several text books of industrial medicine
have been published. The reasons are obvious: concern
for the welfare of the industrial worker has become a vital
necessity; many practising physicians are being asked
to assume the medical care of industrial workers without
any previous experience of industrial medicine; and many
medical schools have recognised the necessity of including
"Industrial Medicine" in their programmes. Most of the
newly published textbooks serve the double purpose of
teaching students the principles of this comparatively
new science and of helping the practising physician who
is not yet expert in his new work. The same double purpose has guided the editor of this textbook. Thirty-three
contributors—physicians, educators, engineers, physicists,
nurses, etc.—have joined forces to cover the whole field of
industrial medicine. The result is a textbook of high
scientific value, but one t h a t can be read by the beginner
or the busy practitioner without special difficulty.
Space, will allow mention of only a few of the thirtythree chapters.
There is an excellent chapter on "Industrial Accidents",
their causes and prevention.
The effects of temperature and humidity on industrial
workers is discussed in another chapter, which also recommends appropriate preventive measures.
The chapter on "Light, Lighting and Seeing" deserves
special mention, as does also t h a t on "Fatigue" which
considers the worker as a psycho-biological unit. The
question of rest pauses is thoroughly discussed and the
importance stressed of the changes of tempo and output
resulting from pauses. As provision is made for meeting
the desires of workers for changes of tempo, for rest
pauses, and for freedom from tension, fatigue becomes
less of a problem.
A very interesting chapter is t h a t on "Medical Control
of Industrial Exposure to Toxic Chemicals". The author,
Dr. John F . FOULGER, has formulated a relatively simple
programme for prevention. I t is a programme of medical
control which is not time consuming, and requires no
complicated apparatus. The early physiological action
of foreign chemicals leads to a rather simple group of
symptoms and signs. The symptoms include: unusual
fatigue or lassitude; headache; dizziness; gastro-enteric
disturbances (nausea, loss of appetite; fullness of the stomach, frequent eructations, uneasiness or pain in the
epigastrium); palpitation. Of these, unusual fatigue or
lassitude and gastro-enteric disturbances are the most
common. The most important and earliest sign is a change
of blood pressure from the usual level. I t is the diastolic
blood pressure which rises first; the systolic pressure follows. Higher concentrations of the same.chemical act as a
depressant and lead to a fall in systolic and diastolic
pressure. These changes in blood pressure, even the most
drastic, appear before any tissue is irreparably injured.
They are purely funtional in origin, but if the exposure
which causes them is allowed to persist, definite organic
injuries may follow. I t is self-evident that regular and
frequent examinations of exposed workers are necessary.
The following chapter contains a survey of substances
which cause occupational poisoning, and stresses the fact
that toxicity increases with increasing atomic weight of
the metallic elements. Also of importance is the gradation
between basicity and acidity, which determine the ease
of hydrolysis of salts. Salts derived from acids and bases
of which one is weak and the other strong, liberate strong
acids or alkalis when brought in contact with moisture.
Dusts carrying such salts are, therefore, highly irritating
to the skin or mucous membranes.
The chapter on occupational diseases of the skin is
highly instructive. I t includes an excellent table giving a
list of occupations, their principal dermatological hazards,
and preventive measures.
A very good treatise of pneumoconiosis follows.
One of the best contributions, as was to be expected,
is the chapter "The Industrial Back", by Dr. Rutherford
T. JOHNSTONE. The author states that in frequency, as
well as in economic loss to industry, backache is probably
exceeded only by the common cold and the dermatoses.
I t has been alleged to be present in one tenth of all patients
suffering from chronic disease. With the rapid absorption
into wartime industries of women, the elderly, and those
previously considered defective, this percentage of incidence will certainly increase. The important anatomical
and physiological details are first described; then follows
a discussion of the causes of backache, of congenital or
developmental defects, and of that important disturbance,
the herniated nucleus pulposus. The technique of examining patients by X-rays or otherwise and various aspects
of therapy are thoroughly dealt with.
A special chapter is devoted to the important subject
"Compensation". Physicians and others in this field will
find here an opportunity of acquainting themselves with
the laws of the individual States of the United States in
which they work. There is only one of the 48 States still
without a compensation law.
Finally, mention may be made of two interesting chapters on "Vocational and Industrial Rehabilitation" and
"Women in Industry", respectively.
Both the beginner and the old practitioner will derive
advantage from a study of this work.
Dr. Karl GOTTLIEB
Folleto de Primera Cura. Consejo Nacional para Prevenciôn de Accidentes, Havana, 14 pp.
A handy, illustrated first-aid pamphlet dealing with
cuts, eye injuries, fractures, shock, bleeding, poisoning,
sunstroke and artificial respiration.
Conservation of P e r s o n a l Protective E q u i p m e n t .
Safety Practices Pamphlet No. 106. National Safety
Council, Chicago, 1943. 12 pp.
Deals generally with the maintenance and use of protective equipment and then lays down rules for specific
types such as goggles, respirators and masks, shoes, rubber
equipment, hard hats, safety belts, life lines, clothing, and
welding helmets and shields.
A s u n t o s del Trabajo. By José A. RÜIZ MORENO. P u b lished by Tall. Graf. L. Lopez y Cia, Buenos Aires,
1943. 62 pp.
The author, himself a retired inspector, has designed
this booklet as a practical manual for labour inspectors.
It deals in a simple manner with the general organisation
of the inspectorate and with all phases of an inspector's
activities. The author is particularly interested in the
protection of rural and native labour.
40
I N D U S T R I A L S A F E T Y STJR.VEY
NEW
MPNOS
SECRETARIA DEL TRABAJO Y PREVISION SOCIAL '
COOPERAOON DE LA COMPARA MFJJCANA DE LLZ Y H U * / A ttklTh.*.
" A
\
POSTERS
TERMINA TU JORNADA SIN ACCIDENTES
SECRETARIA, D E L , TJ AB A JO y PREVISION
c o o p i R A C t o»iMi^ä>i»'o m e *
Take Care of your Hands
(Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Mexico,
With the co-operation of the Mexican Light and Power Comp.)
SOCIAL
<^t^fi I *. I U C R I .
End your Day without Accidents
(Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Mexico,
with the co-operation of C. Noriega &• Co.)
"mmkâ
Safety Rules weren't meant for me!
(National Safety Council, Chicago.)
(Federal Security Agency, U.S. Public Health Service,
Washington, D.C.)
0N©yS?R0ÂI
SÂF1TY
SURVEY
VOLCTŒ XX, No.
APRIL-JUNE 1944
2
CONTENTS
Page
Work Accidents i n t h e United S t a t e s Shipyards, 1943. By Max D . KOSSORIS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Washington, D . C
41
SWEDEN : Safety Organisation in Municipal Works
56
SWITZERLAND: The Advisory Office for Accident Prevention in 1942
56
U N I T E D STATES OF AMERICA: National Safety Council. The Thirty-second National Safety Congress
Tenth National Conference on Labor Legislation, December 1943
(New York) : New York University Center for Safety Education
(Pennsylvania) : State-Wide Industrial Safety Conference
57
58
59
59
Laws and R e g u l a t i o n s , Safety Codes.
ARGENTINA: Decree No. 15,074 creating the Secretariat of Labour and Social Welfare. 27 November 1943 . . . .
CANADA (Saskatchewan) : Regulations under the Electrical Inspection and Licensing Act. 10 December 1943 . . .
Regulations for the Prevention of Accidents in Grain Elevators. 20 January 1944
Mines Regulations. 20 January 1944
60
60
60
60
GREAT BRITAIN: Regulation respecting Training and Supervision in Coal Mines
The Coal Mines (South Wales) (Pneumoconiosis) Order, 1943
The Coal Mining (Training and Medical Examination) Order, 1944. Effective 1 February 1944
60
60
61
INDIA (Mysore) : The Mysore Explosives Rules, 1943
P E R U : Supreme Resolution No. 358 concerning Health Requirements in Lead Mines. 31 August 1943
SWEDEN: Instructions concerning Protection against Occupational Risks in Spray Painting. 3 April 1943 . . .
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (New Jersey) : Standards for the Protection of Workers in Gas and Electric Welding .
61
61
61
61
AUSTRALIA: Report on Dust Hazards in Foundries
(New South Wales): Factory Accidents, 1942
CANADA (Alberta) : Report of the Workmen's Compensation Board, 1942
62
62
62
DENMARK: Industrial Accident Statistics, 1934-1938
Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate, 1942
GREAT BRITAIN : Social Medicine in Scotland
NORWAY: Annual Report of the Factory Inspectorate, 1942
PALESTINE: Accidents in the Manufacturing Industry, 1939-1941
SWITZERLAND: Report of the Federal Factory Inspectorate for 1942
63
64
65
65
66
67
U N I T E D STATES OF AMERICA: Accidents in W a r Plants
68
Coal-Mine Accidents in 1941
Metal and Non-Metal Mine Accidents, 1941
Industrial Injuries in 1942
(New York): Accidents to Minors, 1942
(Ohio) : Accidents in Ohio, 1942
70
71
72
73
74
74
R e c e n t Books
77
Errata
79
N e w Posters
• .
Published by the INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, 3480 University St., Montreal, Canada.
.
.
.
80
INDUSTRIAL
SAFETY
APRIL-JUNE 1944
MONTREAL
SURVEY
VOL.
XX, No. 2
WORK ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES SHIPYARDS, 1943
By Max D.
KOSSORIS,
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C.
The work accident experience in shipbuilding
in the United States during 1943 is significant
for two reasons: (1) shipbuilding was at an alltime peak, and (2) a nationwide co-ordinated
attempt was made to curtail injuries.
At the outbreak of the war in September 1939,
the merchant fleet of the United States consisted
for the most part of vessels built about 20 years
earlier. The shipbuilding programme of the
Maritime Commission was in its infancy. The
merchant fleet consisted of about 1,100 vessels
aggregating approximately 10,500,000 tons dwt.
It was obvious that this fleet was not adequate
to meet all the demands made on it both by this
nation and by the other democracies.
When the United States entered the war in
December 1941, the merchant fleet was augmented by foreign vessels which had been acquired by seizure in American ports, or by negotiation or requisition. In this manner the deadweight tonnage was raised to about 12,000,000
tons.
By July 1942, the accelerated pace of shipbuilding failed to keep up with enemy sinkings
and the net merchant ship tonnage decreased
to about 11,750,000 tons dwt. Similarly, the
losses of our allies were far in excess of the tonnage they produced.
The situation was extremely dangerous: not
only was there the need for many more merchant ships to supply our far-flung battle fronts,
but the need for naval vessels was greater than
ever before. According to recent reports by high
naval officers, the situation of our Navy was
desperate.
There was only one answer: drastic increases
in shipyard facilities. This involved a twofold
problem: (1) the obtaining of essential materials,
notably steel, at a period of material shortages,
and (2) the development of a much larger working force.
Both of these problems were solved. By July
1943, the American merchant fleet totalled about
2,000 ships aggregating about 20 million tons.
This represents an increase of nearly 100 per
cent, in 12 months. It was accomplished despite
offsetting losses of about 100 ships through
enemy sinkings—some of which took place at
our very shores.
By this time, however, American shipbuilders
had got into their stride. Production levels were
near an all-time peak. New ships were turned
out at an average of about one a day. The programme, however, required them to reach still
higher levels—an average of 5 ships a day. This
goal was actually attained. Shipbuilding facilities had reached a capacity of 20 million tons
dwt. More than 300 ship ways were in operation.
Employment had increased from about 69,000
in 1939 to more than a million in 1943. The
labour force drawn into the yards for the most
part had no prior experience in shipbuilding. It
came from all kinds of industries and comprised
young and old, men and women. These people
had to be trained and thrown into active production just as quickly as possible.
This achievement was matched by far-reaching technological changes. Riveting gave way
to welding. The slow and careful methods of the
older type of construction gave way to revolutionary assembly-line methods and the extensive
préfabrication of parts—particularly ship hulls—
swung into place by gigantic cranes.
The fastest time between keel laying and
delivery during the last war was a little short of
eight months. The average time was 10 to 12
months. In comparison, the average construction time for the Liberty ship by July 1942 had
been reduced to 105 days. By June 1943 this
time had been cut in half, and since then,
the average has been reduced to about .40
days.
42
vastly expanded old, yards had to grow rapidly,
at a time when the main emphasis was on speed.
So tremendous an expansion had very obvious From a cold-blooded production point of view,
implications in the accident prevention field. there was no sense in finding and training new
There was a tremendously increased working workers only to lose them through work acciforce, consisting for the most part of "green" dents.
workers, unaccustomed to the hazards of shipWhile many of the older yards were not
building. The time-honoured methods of ship- novices in the field of accident prevention, many
building had been revolutionised. This change of the new yards were. In an effort to stem the
in itself introduced a large variety of new rising accident tide, many of these yards emhazards. The safety activities of the new, or ployed safety men, some of them competent, and
some of them entitled to
this occupational desigU. S. NAVY DEPARTMENT
U. S. MARITIME COMMISSION
nation only as a matter
WASHINGTON, D. C.
WASHINGTON, D. 0 .
of courtesy. There was
much confusion.
To All Contractors Constructing Ships for United States NavyUnited States Maritime Commission:
In 1942, there were
As a result of the national conference on safety and health in ship33.1 disabling injuries
yards holding contracts with the United States Navy and Maritime
per million employeeCommission, conducted under the auspices of these agencies in Chicago
hours as against 26.4 for
December 7 and 8,1942, a unanimous agreement was reached upon the
1941 and 20.6 for 1940.
minimum standards which have now been approved by the Navy DeIt
was generally known
partment and United States Maritime Commission and which should
that
working conditions
be put into effect in shipyards holding contracts with the two agencies.
in
shipyards
were far
These standards represent a specialized study based upon a fact-findfrom
being
even
reasoning survey on all coasts by experts in that field. They have received
ably safe, although the
the unanimous concurrence of the representatives of the medical and
relatively high wage
safety departments and of labor-management committees from shipyards on all coasts.
rates acted as powerful
The necessity for conserving manpower and promoting the physical
magnets for attracting
welfare, health, and safety of what shortly will amount to one million
workers.
workers in shipyards requires that careful observance of standards for
the prevention of accidents and protection of health be accorded.
Minimum
Requirements
Aside from the weight which must be given humanitarian considerations, it is simply good common sense that as much care and attention
In the autumn of
be given to protecting the human factors in the war production pro1942, the Maritime Comgram as is given machines.
mission and the Navy
Under the administrative direction of the Maritime Commission,
safety and industrial health consultants will be made available in all
took a hand in the
regions wherein shipyards holding contracts with the Navy and the
matter. A conference of
Commission are located.
all shipyard safety and
Each contractor is hereby given notice that the Navy Department
health directors was
and the Maritime Commission will expect full and complete complicalled, at which preliance with the minimum standards which bear the approval of the
minary drafts of miniNavy Department and the Maritime Commission, and each is requested
mum requirements for
to give full cooperation to the consultants on health and safety who
safety and health were
will be charged with the coordination and supervision of the safety
discussed. The conferand health programs of the two agencies.
ence
worked out and
The.cumulative restriction of manpower makes speedy attention
adopted
a set of requireand comprehensive action in respect to the subject matter hereof of
ments which were apvital importance.
proved by the United
States Navy in January,
and by the U.S. Maritime Commission in
E. S. LAND, Chairman,
February 1943. ThereFRANK KNOX, Secretary of the Navy.
U. S. Maritime Commission.
after, these minimum
T H E ACCIDENT PROBLEM
WORK ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES SHIPYARDS, 1 9 4 3
requirements, drawn with the assistance of the
men who were to work to them, were mandatory
on every contract shipyard—each of which was
building ships of one kind or another for the
Government. The short directive notifying the
contractors of the new requirements, signed by
Frank KNOX, Secretary of the Navy, and E. S.
LAND, Chairman of the U.S. Maritime Commission, bears repeating because it sets the tone
for the entire endeavour.
The main features of the Manual of Minimum
Requirements are as follows:
1. As the name implies, the manual covers
only minimum requirements for safety and
health.
2. Yards with less than 2,000 to 3,000 workers need not have full-time physicians.
But yards having 3,000 to 5,000 workers
should have two full-time physicians, and
one additional physician for each 5,000
men.
3. Yards employing up to 5,000 workers
should have six full-time nurses in the main
dispensary, and three additional nurses
for each additional 5,000 workers. Firstaid stations are to be staffed by additional
nurses.
4. Physical facilities required are indicated
in considerable detail, covering such items
as treatment rooms, X-ray room, first-aid
rooms, ambulances, etc.
5. Specified health precautions are required
for certain types of operations, particularly where the hazards involve dusts,
fumes, acid gases and mists, solvents,
fiberglass, asbestos, and other chemicals or
substances which may occasion dermatitis
and other types of industrial diseases.
6. On the accident-prevention side of the
programme, a safety director is required
in every shipyard. The director is to be
responsible directly to the highest ranking
managerial executive or his designated
representative.
7. In addition to the safety director, an
assistant director is required in yards
having 3,000 or more workers. One safety
engineer is to be added for every 1,500
employees. Thus a yard with 35,000 employees should have a safety director, an
assistant director, and 21 safety engineers
or inspectors.
8. The functions of the safety director and
his staff are outlined in some detail and
43
follow well-established safety practices,
ranging from responsibility for safe working conditions and employee training to the
required types of reports.
9. In addition to the reports to be kept
within the yard for the guidance of the
management and the safety director, the
requirements call for two reports to the
Maritime Commission. One of these is the
monthly injury summary, which contains
the exposure and injury data necessary for
the computation of the injury frequency
rate in each yard. The other is the supervisor's report, which is to be made out for
each disabling injury. In this form, the
emphasis is on accident cause analysis and
method of prevention.
The following
questions are the core of this form:
(6) Describe accident or case fully (what injured
was doing, what happened, etc.)
(7) What unsafe condition caused accident or occupational disease? (Specify: broken ladder,
defective staging, lack of ventilating equipment, etc.)
(8) What was done wrong (unsafely) that caused
accident or occupational disease?
(Specify:
failure to wear provided goggles, overloading
crane, using mushroomed chisel, failure to use
respiratory protective equipment, etc.)
(9) Describe resulting injury or occupational
disease.
(10) What have you done to prevent similar occurrences ?
(11) W h a t do you recommend to prevent similar
occurrences ?
The purpose of this form was threefold :
(1) to provide the supervisor with an adequate form on which to record each disabling injury; (2) to require the supervisor to
make an analysis of the unsafe factors in
each accident, and at the same time to
reveal to the safety department whether
he understood his accident problems and
had taken the proper remedial measures,
or whether he required attention from the
safety men; and (3) to provide the Maritime Commission—which administered the
programme—with records which .would
permit adequate direction.
10. Specific safety provisions are laid down
for a large variety of hazards—welding,
burning, housekeeping, lighting, etc. In
the execution of the safety and health programme, the Maritime Commission utilises a director for safety, and a director for
44
health and hygiene. The latter is assisted
by a small staff of medical men who
engage in studies and investigations of the
health conditions in shipyards. The safety
staff consists of four regional consultants
whose duty it is to work with the safety
directors in the various yards.
The Statistical Programme
The two report forms, i.e., the injury summary
and the supervisor's report—are sent monthly
by each yard to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for statistical processing. This consists of
two major activities, namely:
(1) determining the relative standing of each
yard, month by month;
(2) determining the types of conditions or
unsafe practices which give rise to important classes of accidents, and which appear
to predominate in specific yards.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics computes the
monthly injury frequency rate for each yard to
determine its relative standing. The rate represents the average number of disabling injuries
per million employee-hours worked. (Injuries
requiring only first aid and which do not include
either permanent impairment or time loss are
excluded from this count.) These rates are given
on two sets of monthly tables which are identical
in every respect except that on one each yard
is identified by name whereas on the other each
yard is identified by a code number. The nametables are for the use of the safety and health
staffs of the Maritime Commission. The numbertables are sent to all reporting yards, each of
which has been informed of its number. Thus
each yard can identify its own record in comparison with others engaged in a similar type of
ship construction and can determine whether its
record is good, bad, or average. At the same
time, the safety staff of the Commission can
quickly identify the yards which require their
services.
This last task is facilitated by still another
service of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Record
cards for accident types, unsafe conditions and
unsafe acts are kept for each yard, so that a quick
reference can furnish the safety consultant with
pertinent information before he confers with the
safety director of any yard. Further, the Bureau
calls specific attention to yards which either do
not comprehend their accident hazards or in
which the same type of hazard frequently
results in accidents. Both of these facts are
quickly apparent from the supervisors' reports.
The recounting of an incident will indicate
how analysis for statistical control purposes is
utilised to better the safety conditions in individual shipyards.
A report stating that a worker had lost an
eye because he had not worn goggles carried the
information that it was difficult to compel the
men to buy their own goggles and that the safety
director had prohibited the free distribution of
goggles. A check over the yard's record revealed
a considerable number of eye injuries, which
probably exceeded in compensation-cost the
amount it would have cost the management to
provide goggles free. A safety consultant immediately called on the safety director of the yard.
Apparently he made no headway with the
director. But the management discharged the
director immediately, hired a new man—and
goggles were distributed without cost to the
workers.
Other reports on specific yards, and indicative
of the general tenor of these reports read as
follows :
(a) Company A.—This yard has consistently
reported a below-average frequency rate.
The monthly rates, however, show a
definite upward trend.
Over the 9-month period average employment increased nearly 50 per cent.,
but the monthly total of disabling injuries doubled and the monthly total of
days lost rose about 500 per cent. The
number of non-disabling injuries increased in about the same proportion as
employment. The disproportionate increase in disabling injuries as compared
with employment may indicate that new
workers have not been given proper
safety training or that crowded working
conditions have resulted from the increased employment. No fatalities and
relatively few permanent impairments
were reported during the 9 months. Over
7,400 man-days were lost because of disabling injuries during the period.
Poor housekeeping and failure to use
proper protective equipment were the
outstanding accident causes. Relatively
few cases of welder's flash were reported,
but there were a considerable number of
45
eye injuries which might have been prevented by impact goggles. Slips and overexertion produced about 15 per cent, of
the injuries, and falls caused nearly 20
per cent.
(ft) Company B.—This yard has consistently
had a high injury frequency rate—and
the rate has shown a definite rising trend.
This rising trend in the frequency rate
has followed an expansion in employment, indicating that safety work has not
been expanded along with other activities.
Non-disabling injuries similarly
have increased more rapidly than employment.
The outstanding accident types in this
yard have been: (a) falls; (b) struck by
moving, falling, or flying objects; and
(c) slips and over-exertion. Unsafe loading or placing of materials (poor housekeeping) has been indicated most frequently as the cause of accidents.
(c) Company C.—This yard reported a very
low frequency rate in the early months
of the year. The monthly rates rose consistently, however, and were above average in the high 30's in July and August.
September showed some improvement.
Employment has shown comparatively
little variation during the 9 months.
Eight fatalities and 706 permanent
impairments have been reported out of a
total of 1,175 disabling injuries. This
is a tremendously high proportion of
serious injuries and indicates either (a)
that proper medical care is not being
given to injured persons, or (b) that the
yard is not reporting according to the
Minimum Requirements.
The inference is strong that all cases
involving lost time are not being reported.
If this is correct, the actual frequency
rate for this yard should be much higher
than has been reported.
(d) Company D.—During the first five months
of the year this yard had a record better
than average. In June its frequency rate
rose sharply and remained in the 40's
throughout August. The September rate
showed some improvement. The number
of non-disabling injuries increased tremendously in August and doubled again
in September.
This increase in nondisabling injuries may be due to a changed
method of reporting such cases, but if
not, it definitely indicates a serious possibility of further increases in the number
of disabling cases. Nine cases of permanent impairment have been reported—
a very high proportion.
Relatively high proportions of the
disabling injuries resulted from falls or
from slips and over-exertion. Eye injuries were few.
Each special report is immediately sent to the
safety consultant in whose territory the particular yard is located. He is requested by the
Director of the safety programme to furnish a
prompt report on the results of his inquiry at the
yard and what steps are being taken to remedy
the situation described.
RESULT OF THE SAFETY PROGRAMME,
1943
The intensified safety programme produced
a marked decline in the incidence of work injuries during the latter part of 1943. The private
shipyards—the Navy controls the programme
in its own yards—finished the year with an average frequency rate of 31.2. Maritime Commission data indicate that shipyards building merchant ships had an average of 32.6 disabling
injuries per million employee hours in 1943 as
against an average of 37.9 in 1942. During the
first eight months of 1943, the frequency rate
kept fairly steady at about 33, but in September
the rate decreased to 30.3, and during the next
3 months it dropped successively to 27.0, 26.5,
and 25.3.
The frequency rate for private shipyards
under Navy contracts—i.e., yards building
various types of warships and not merchant
vessels—was somewhat better. In comparison
with the merchant-shipyard rate of 32.6, the
Navy contract yards averaged 28.8. The difference is apparently directly due to the differences
in the methods of production. Most of the
maritime yards were building cargo vessels'on
a production line basis which involved much
intermingling of the various occupational crafts.
As a result, workers were exposed not only
to the hazards of their own crafts, but also to
those of other crafts with which they must work.
(This problem will be discussed more fully later.)
On the other hand, work on combat vessels
requires greater specialisation and segregation
of crafts.
46
TREND OF INDUSTRIAL-INJURY FREQUENCY RATES FOR 213 IDENTICAL
SHIPYARDS REPORTING FOR ALL MONTHS OF 1943
U.S. MARITIME COMMISSION-U.S. NAVY DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS
40
40
35
30
25
20
20
15
10
•„////M///
JAN
MAR
JUN
DEC
SEPT
1943
Fig.l
INDUSTRIAL-INJURY FREQUENCY RATES FOR 213 IDENTICAL SHIPYARDS
REPORTING FOR ALL MONTHS OF 1943
U.S. MARITIME COMMISSION - U . S . NAVY DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS
BATE
RATE
40
40
35
35
-YEARLY AVERAGE
30.9
30
30
25
25
20
20
15
10
- 5
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
1943
Fig. 2
AUG
SEPT
OCT
NOV
OEC
47
The frequency-rate comparisons also show,
Fully one third (actually 35 per cent.) of all
rather surprisingly, that yards engaged in build- reported injuries were due to workers being
ing iron and steel vessels generally had lower struck by objects. Twenty-one per cent, of acciinjury frequency rates than those building either dents resulted in falls, with falls to a lower level
concrete or wooden vessels. Contrary to the predominating (12 per cent.). Slips and overgeneral expectation, it was found that frequency exertion—resulting in strains or hernias—acrates for repair yards were not higher than those counted for another 16 per cent., striking against
for work on new vessels.
objects for 10 per cent., contact with heat or
I t was discovered that the usual generalisation flame for 8 per cent., caught in or between obthat the larger establishment tends to have the jects for 6 per cent., inhalation, absorption or
lower frequency rate also held for shipbuilding. ingestion of poisonous substances for 2 per cent.,
The extent to which the size of the vessels being and miscellaneous causes for another 2 per cent.
built influenced the rate could not be established,
Thirty-three per cent, of all injuries were to
because as a rule the larger boats were built in the lower extremities and were almost evenly
the larger yards.
As a general rule, injury freAVERAGE INDUSTRIAL- INJURY FREQUENCY
quency rates were highest in the
RATES FOR 213 IDENTICAL SHIPYARDS
small yards. The rate for yards
REPORTING
FOR ALL MONTHS OF 1943
with less than 1,000 workers averU.S. MARITIME COMMISSION- U.S. NAVY DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS RATE
R4TE
aged 53.0.
In comparison, the
60
60
group of yards with 10,000 to
20,000 workers had a rate of 28.1.
The injury incidence was somewhat
higher for the very large yards,
i.e., yards having over 20,000 work50
ers. For these the average was
31.1.
The reasons for this inverse relationship appear to be two: (1) the
40
40
small yards were engaged primarily
in building small vessels which
generally involves less mechanical
and more manual handling of
materials than does the construc. 5SP4BIÜRE. JYfiAitt J . » I L r _ 3 a ? _
30
30
tion of large vessels; (2) the smaller
yards had greater difficulty in
maintaining an adequate staff for
an effective safety programme.
General Statistical
Findings
A total of 56,865 individual
injury reports were submitted
during 1943. This probably represents about half of the total volume
of disabling injuries. The reason
for this deficiency is that some of
the larger yards refused to change
from their established reporting
methods to those required by the
Maritime Commission and the
Navy. It was not possible to incorporate their various methods into a
standardised method of statistical
measurement.
20
20
10
10
UNDER
1,000
5,000
10,000
UNDER
UNDER
1,000
UNDER
AND
5,000
10,000
20,000
OVER
20.000
S I Z E OF SHIPYARDS BY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Fig. S
48
divided between feet, legs, toes, ankles and
knees. About one fourth of these injuries consisted of fractures, about one third of contusions
and bruises, and most of the remainder of sprains
and strains. Although safety shoes could not
have prevented these accidents, they could have
prevented many of the injuries.
Twenty-four per cent.—nearly one fourth of
the total—resulted in injuries to eyes and other
parts of the head. Eye injuries alone accounted
for 16 per cent., emphasising the necessity of
goggle protection. Of the 2,816 skull injuries,
298 were fractures. Hard hats might have prevented many of the injuries. Injuries to the
trunk—back, ribs, shoulders, abdominal organs,
hips, pelvis, etc.,—accounted for another 22 per
cent, of the injury total. More than half of this
group of injuries consisted of sprains and strains.
Hernias were suffered by 831 of the injured
employees.
Rather surprisingly, only 18 per cent, of the
injuries were to the upper extremities—fingers,
hands, arms, wrists and elbows. Of the 586
amputations, 577 involved fingers. As one might
reasonably expect, cuts, lacerations, and abrasions accounted for more injuries than any one
other group. Fractures, however, were a fairly
close second, involving primarily fingers and
arms.
An interesting observation may be made concerning injuries from "welder's flash". This
painful eye injury results from exposure to the
flash of the welding arc and was very much in
the spotlight during the early part of the safety
programme. During the first quarter of 1943,
9 per cent, of all reported injuries were cases of
welder's flash. Because of persistent attention
to the proper precautions, the percentage of
welder's flash cases during the next three quarters dropped successively to 6, 4, and finally 3
per cent, of all reported cases.
A classification of injuries by nature of injury
shows the following distribution:
Per cent.
Contusions, bruises, hematoma. . .
Sprains, strains
Hernia
Other
Fractures
Cuts, lacerations, abrasions
Foreign bodies in eyes
Burns
Welder's flash
Other
Amputations
24
20
1
19
15
12
11
10
5
5
1
Industrial disease (chemical poisoning)
Concussions
Other injuries
Not classified—insufficient data...
1
1
1
4
ACCIDENT CAUSES
The individual accident reports submitted to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics were subjected
to the method of accident cause analysis which
has been the American Standard since 1941.1
Under this method the following accident factors
were determined for each reported accident:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The agency, i.e., the defective object or
unsafe condition, which was most closely
related to the accident.
The unsafe condition of the agency, i.e.,
the defect.
The accident type.
The unsafe act.
The following discussion briefly summarises
the statistical findings for 56,865 reported injuries.
Unsafe Working
Conditions
This grouping combines accident factors
1 and 2.
In 39 per cent, of all cases, no defective agency
was involved. That is, the accident was attributable entirely to an unsafe act on the part of
either the worker injured or a co-worker. In 10
per cent, more, the data were not reported in
sufficient detail to permit a fair determination
of the defective agency.
In the remaining cases, by far the most outstanding unsafe condition was lack of protective
equipment or use of defective or unsuitable protective equipment. Fully 18 per cent, of the
total cases fell into this category. Failure to
wear goggles alone accounted for 12 per cent, of
all the reported cases. About one third of these
resulted from exposure to the flash from the
welder's arc—and very frequently it was a
worker nearby, and not the welder, whose eyes
were "flashed".
In 3 per cent, of the total cases injuries resulted to workers who wore goggles unsuitable
for the task, Nearly all of them resulted from
foreign particles entering the eye.
Poor housekeeping constituted the second
major category of unsafe working conditions.
Half of these resulted from failure to keep the
1
American Recommended Practice for Compiling Industrial Accident
Causes. Code Z16.2, American Standards Association, 1941.
decks
hose.
from
ice or
or floors cleared, particularly of cables and
About 2 per cent, of the injuries resulted
slippery surfaces, due to water, grease,
snow.
Fig. 4.—Accidents are bound to happen here! A good
example of bad housekeeping. (Note: This figure is not
from the same source as fig. 5 and 6.)
Defective agencies made up the third largest
group, with 9 per cent, of the total injuries.
Agencies which were fatigued, worn, frayed,
decayed, etc., were responsible for over 1,500
injuries, or 3 per cent, of the injury total. Outstanding in this group were defective tools.
Insecurely bolted or welded plates, dogs, and
other metal parts caused 2 per cent, of the injuries, as did unsafe construction or erection of
scaffolds, staging, and of work surfaces generally.
Unguarded agencies formed a fourth group,
accounting for 5 per cent, of the injury total.
Most of these accidents were caused by failure
to guard working surfaces—such as scaffolds
and stagings—and to erect guard rails or take
other protective measures around open hatches
or openings in floors and decks.
Accident Type
In 35 per cent, of these 56,865 cases, workers
were struck by moving, sliding or falling objects.
Fully one third of the injuries could have been
prevented by the use of proper protective equipment.
Falls were involved in nearly 12,000 cases,
or 21 per cent, of the total. Falls to lower levels
accounted for slightly over half of these acci-
49
dents. The largest proportion of cases resulted
from unguarded stagings, deck openings, etc.,
with falls from defective agencies—primarily
because of unsafe erection—a close second.
On the other hand, falls on the same surface
resulted primarily from poor housekeeping, and
more particularly from hose, cables and other
objects on the decks or floors.
Slips or over-exertion, usually resulting in
strains, and occasionally hernias, constituted the
accident type in 16 per cent, of the reported
cases. Again, most of these were directly
traceable to poor housekeeping, which caused
people to slip and strain themselves. A considerable number of the slips, however, were
due to slippery walk surfaces.
Striking-against-object accidents were nearly
evenly divided among unsafe conditions due
to lack of protective equipment, poor housekeeping, and defects of agencies.
Contact with radiations from the welder's arc
caused 5 per cent, of all injuries. The very great
majority of these could have been prevented by
the wearing of suitable goggles.
Unsafe Acts
In only 8 per cent, of the reported cases was
it clear that no unsafe act had been committed
and that the accident was due entirely to an
unsafe condition. In most cases, therefore, both
an unsafe condition and an unsafe act were
involved. In 10 per cent, of the cases the data
were not sufficient to permit of an adequate
analysis.
Failure to wear protective equipment was the
most outstanding type of unsafe act, and was
involved in 19 per cent, of all reported cases.
About half of these were eye injuries which could
have'been prevented with proper goggles. It was
frequently not clear from the reports, however,
whether the workers had no goggles or failed to
wear the goggles they had.
Improper lifting methods or taking an insecure
grip on objects to be lifted formed the second
largest group of unsafe acts, with 16 per cent.
of the total. As between the two types of unsafe
acts, gripping insecurely or taking the wrong
hold was the more important, with 10 per cent.
of the cases. Most frequently, the object involved was a tool. The improper handling of
metal plates and other metal parts accounted
for only half as many injuries as the improper
handling of tools.
50
Improper lifting or carrying too great a load
resulted in 4 per cent, of the injuries. As one
might naturally expect, the materials handled
were metal plates and other metal stock.
Nearly as large as the second group of unsafe
acts, was the third—taking unsafe position or
posture. It accounted for 15 per cent, of the
cases. Inattention to secure footing and lifting
with a bent back accounted for half of these
injuries, with each of them of about the same
significance.
Ascending or descending too rapidly, or failure to use ladders and staging, was the fourth
major group of unsafe acts, with 4 per cent, of
all accidents in this category.
Unsafe and unnecessary exposure to cranes,
crane loads, vehicles, etc., involved another 3
per cent, of the accidents.
SPECIFIC HAZARDS
Falls
It has been pointed out 1 that falls resulted in
21 per cent, of all disabling injuries. Put in
another way, one out of every five injuries was
caused by a fall. Falls to a lower level slightly
exceeded falls on a level surface.
In absolute numbers, falls occurred most
frequently in the daylight hours between 7 a.m.
and 5 p.m. In proportion to the number of employees engaged at the various shifts, falls
occurred relatively more frequently during the
second shift between 5 p.m. and midnight, and
most frequently during the night shift, between
1
See also "Causes and Prevention of Injuries from Falls in Shipyards", in Monthly Labor Review. Oct. 194.1, p. 766.
midnight and 7 a.m. Undoubtedly there is a
relationship between the hazard of falling and
the amount and quality of available light.
About one quarter of all falls were directly
associated with poor housekeeping. Admittedly,
it is difficult in shipbuilding to place electric
cables, air lines and welding lines in such a way
that they will not constitute accident hazards
on working surfaces and passage ways. The fact
nevertheless remains that this condition was
one of the most prolific accident causes in shipbuilding.
On the other hand, there appears to be little
excuse for permitting the accumulation on working surfaces of materials, tools and scrap to
become tripping hazards. For example, there
was the case of the pipe fitter who tripped over a
loose plank lying in a poorly lighted shaft alley.
Another example is that of a worker who suffered a broken leg when he fell over material
placed at the bottom of the steps he was cleaning.
A considerable number of falls resulted from
slips on wet surfaces, fresh paint, and spilled oil
or grease.
A significant accident occurred
because grease and oil, carried on the shoes of
many workers, had made the safety cleats of a
ramp so slippery as to cause a positive slipping
hazard.
Another important unsafe condition which
caused falls was the lack of guard rails around
openings or at the edge of elevated working
surfaces. Closely allied to this condition was
the use of ladders not provided with safety shoes
or improperly lashed.
Defective scaffolds or stagings caused about
7 per cent, of all falls. As a rule, the difficulty
•*mr-'~-*.-.M
Photo: New England Shipbuilding Corporation
Fig. 5.—Shipyards in operation at night.
51
was in the original construction. There were
indications, however, that frequent and thorough inspections would have been very fruitful.
Floor boards which were loose or overlapped, and
gaps between scaffolds and hulls were frequently
indicated as defects in original construction.
Unsafe practices were identified in 84 per cent.
of all falls. Ironically, the majority of the injuries were suffered by workers other than those
who had committed the unsafe acts.
As already indicated, the most outstanding
fall-producing unsafe act was that of leaving
tools, materials, equipment and scrap in unsafe
positions. This appears to be a situation which
could be controlled through proper supervision.
Similarly, there was little justification for the
failure of stage builders to provide adequate
scaffolds, staging and ladders, or to place hand
or guard railings where necessary. There were,
however, some cases in which the injured workers used make-shift scaffolds which they themselves had constructed from boxes, saw-horses
and planks.
One of the most unusual falls reported was one
in which a burner's helper stood on the end of a
plate and watched his leaderman burn off the
part on which he, the helper, was standing.
In most falls from ladders, the primary cause
appears to have been the failure to obtain a
secure grip while ascending or descending. In
some cases, however, it was clear that the climbers were carrying a greater load of materials
than they could handle safely. For example, a
painter tried to climb a ladder while carrying
six paint buckets, and a shipfitter tried to carry
a "20-ton jack, a lunch box, and a pair of coveralls". A few workers fell while descending
ladders facing outward, thus practically inviting
disaster.
In the light of the reported accidents involving
falls, the following safety precautions seem important. With each are given the approximate
percentage of falls which the measure may be
expected to eliminate.
Possible percentage of falls e l i m i n a t e d
By direct action of management:
1. Better housekeeping on working surfaces,
such as scaffolds, stagings, decks, floors,
and docks
2. Provide guard rails on stagings, scaffolds,
catwalks, ramps, around open decks,
hatchways and manholes
3. Properly constructed stagings and other
elevated working surfaces, and frequent
inspection while in use
26
13
7
4.
5.
Sufficient illumination
Proper inspection to insure that beams,
girders, saddles, jack-clamps, etc., are
safely braced, bolted or welded
2
2
By co-operation of employees:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Stop shortcutting when going from one
part of boat or yard to another
Have workers pay more attention to
secure footing
Stop improper use of ladders, carrying
excessive loads while climbing, or facing
outward when descending
Stop unnecessary walking on beams or
girders, avoid approaching the edge of
decks or openings unless work requires it.
See that guards, demountable railings, etc.,
are used whenever necessary, and that
they are properly adjusted
Eye
9
7
6
3
2
Injuries
Frequent reference has been made to eye injuries.1 These amounted to 16 per cent, of all
reported injuries during 1943. In 11 per cent.,
the injuries were caused by foreign particles
striking the eye. Another 5 per cent, consisted
of welder's flash cases.
This last type of injury received special consideration from the Maritime Commission
because the survey of the reports from the shipyards for the first quarter of 1943 showed these
cases to be 9 per cent, of the total reported.
The subsequent reduction of this figure in the
following quarters to 6, 4 and finally 3 per cent.
is evidence of the success of the programme
adopted.
A special survey of eye injuries was made by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and covered
reports submitted for the first 5 months of 1943.
The problem of preventing eye injuries is a
difficult one because of the wide variety of eye
hazards inherent in shipbuilding operations.
There is the further difficulty of segregating
many of the operations which create these
hazards. Because of the different types of activities carried on simultaneously, workers in any
part of the yard may at one and the same time
be exposed to types of eye hazards which require different types of protection. Workers,
therefore, must be protected not only against
the hazards of their own work, but also against
the hazards created by the operations of fellow
workers.
This is particularly true in cases of welder's
flash, in which the eyes are injured by the radia1
See also "Eye Injuries in Shipyards", in Monthly Labor Review,
Dec. 1943, p. 1151.
52
tions from the welding arc. In only one case out
of six was the injured worker the welder. In
fact, almost two thirds of all welder's flashes
were suffered by workers who were in no way
connected with welding operations, and whose
work happened to be in the vicinity of one or
more welders. Nearly half of these men were
steamfitters.
A substantial number of the
welders who suffered flash injuries were injured
by the arcs of other welders. A typical illustration of the manner in which this type of accident occurs is afforded by the welder who stepped
out of his booth, and raised his hood. The
adjoining booths were not shielded at the front.
As a result, the welder's eyes were flashed by
his neighbour's arc.
Foreign particles, however, accounted for the
major portion of disabling eye injuries. Unquestionably, non-disabling eye injuries requiring
only first-aid or medical treatment and not
requiring the worker to stay away are much
more numerous and involve very appreciable
losses of time and production. Operations in
which injuries from flying particles were most
numerous were: chipping, caulking, scaling,
welding, reaming, drilling, and burning. Here
again, a substantial number of injuries occurred
to workers who were not carrying out these
operations, but worked in the immediate vicinity.
In most instances, these workers were not wearing goggles. Apparently many of them were
well aware that they should have worn goggles,
for they were reported to have explained that
the work was of such short duration that it
hardly seemed advisable to go to the stock room
for goggles. Considering the distances to be
covered and the methods frequently necessary to
reach the work place, one can readily understand
the reluctance of these men to obtain goggles.
The alternative, however, is the risk of an eye
injury.
Analysis of the reported injuries indicated
that 75 per cent, of them could have been prevented by three measures:
1. More extensive use of goggles, both by
workers engaged directly in eye-hazard
operations, and by workers in the immediate vicinity of such operations.
2. More extensive use of screens to shield
workers, wherever such shielding is
practicable.
3. Segregation of eye hazards whenever
possible.
It is not enough, however, simply to provide
more goggles. In about 15 per cent, of the disabling eye injuries, the persons injured wore
goggles. That they could sustain eye injuries in
spite of that protection indicates that the goggles they wore were either defective or not
proper for the hazards to which the men were
exposed.
The main problem with goggles in shipyards as
well as elsewhere is to get the workers to wear
them. They are not always comfortable, and
frequently men will take chances even though
they are well aware of the hazard. The answer,
here as elsewhere, is stricter supervision and an
insistence that workers wear goggles when
exposed to flying particles. Perhaps, too, workers would be less apt to take chances if the
places at which goggles could be obtained were
more numerous and more conveniently located.
Most important is the necessity to educate
workers and their supervisors to recognise
hazards and to guard against them properly.
Admittedly, this is a tremendous task when new
yards appear to be springing out of the ground,
and when organisations at the older yards
undergo tremendous expansion. Nevertheless,
intensive safety education is strongly indicated—
particularly when so many of the workers are
new not only to shipyard work, but to industrial operations generally.
Crane Accidents
During the first seven months of 1943, crane
accidents amounted to only 5 per cent, of the
reported disabling injuries.1
Offsetting this,
however, is the fact that cranes caused more
severe injuries than any other mechanical equipment.
In the more than 30,000 disabling injuries
reported during the first seven months of 1943,
severe injuries such as fractures, amputation,
and brain contusions represented 16 per cent.
of all cases. But in accidents involving cranes,
the percentage of such injuries came to 38.
Nearly half of these were to legs, feet, and toes—
and more than one third of them were fractures.
While safety shoes would not have prevented
these accidents, they could have prevented a
substantial proportion of the resulting injuries.
An important aspect of crane accidents is that
about 40 per cent, of the injuries involved workers who were not members of the crane crews.
1
See also "Causes of Crane Accidents in Shipyards", in Monthly
Labor Review, Mar. 1944, p. 531.
53
The hazards of crane operations clearly extend sons. Frequently improperly rigged loads fell
beyond riggers, erectors, crane operators, and from the slings upon the workers below. More
their helpers to others who must work in proxi- frequently, workers were struck by swinging
mity to crane operations or who are called upon loads or when the loads were lowered directly
occasionally to assist in such operations.
upon them. Many of these workers had no
The solution to this problem appears to lie in: choice as to their position when the loads were
(1) training regular cranemen and their crews in swinging over them. Obviously, there is a great
preventing injury to themselves, and (2) insist- responsibility on the part of the signalman to
ing that they must guard others from the dan- protect such workers. But the fact that riggers
gers of crane equipment. Further, supervisors and hookers-on themselves were often injured
generally must be impressed with the necessity by such accidents clearly indicates that the rules
of safeguarding their employees when working of safe crane operation are frequently disreat or near cranes.
regarded by the very workers to whom they
Failure to make the necessary repairs when should be best known—for their own protection.
Analysis discloses that many of these accithe defective condition of booms, sheaves, or
cables were known to the operators led to a con- dents could have been prevented by the strict
siderable number of injuries. The necessity for enforcement of a few simple rules. To illusprompt attention to such conditions is empha- trate: requiring crane crews to stand clear (and
sised by the fact that the equipment failures in not in front) before the sling load is raised or
these cases all occurred during
the course of normal operations
and not as a result of overloading. These accidents could
have been prevented by strict
adherence to the rule that no
crane may continue in operation
when there is a known defect in
any part of the equipment.
A substantial number of mechanical failures resulted from
overloading. In the absence of
automatic tension controls or
load indicators, many accidents
could have been avoided if the
plates or assemblies to be lifted
were clearly marked as to weight
in numerals sufficiently large for
the cranemen to see easily.
Similarly, it would help if the
riggers and the crane operator
checked the weight of all loads
before attempting to lift them.
A hazard which crane crews can
do little about, but which could
be overcome through stricter
inspection of welding, is that
of improperly welded pad-eyes
pulling loose from plates, thus
allowing the suspended plates
to fall.
The largest portion of crane
accidents, however, consisted of
Photo: New England Shipbuilding Corporation
violent contact between the
crane load and one or more perFig. 6.—Giant cranes putting the pre-fabricated bow of a ship in place;
54
lowered; requiring the use of poles or tag lines
to guide loads, instead of the use of hands;
requiring loads to be grounded to stop swinging;
requiring the signalman to be fully responsible
for satisfying these conditions.
The signalman, however, must have the full
co-operation of the crane operator. In nearly 10
per cent, of all crane accidents, the operators
moved their equipment without awaiting the
signal of their signalmen. Obviously there is
need for clearly understood signals and for insistence that the operator does not move his
equipment until he has been given the proper
signal. Nor should the operator act on any
signal given by anyone else than the authorised
signalman—who probably could be clearly
identified by a brightly and distinctly coloured
hard hat.
I t is hardly necessary to mention that crane
accidents are important not only because they
cause severe injuries, but also because great
damage can be caused to ships under construction by loads dropped from slings, by cranes
tipped over because overloaded—and by cranes
being out of service when badly needed.
Chemical Poisoning—Industrial
Diseases
As is true of industry generally, the absorption
of poisonous chemicals—whether quickly in an
accident or over a period of time as in industrial
(occupational) diseases—causes a very small
percentage of disabling injuries. Out of over
41,000 cases surveyed, only about 500 resulted
from chemical poisoning. 1
About 40 per cent, of the reported cases were
stated to have been caused by the inhalation of
metallic fumes (zinc oxide) liberated in welding
or burning of galvanised metal. Another 40 per
cent, resulted from the inhalation of other
fumes, smoke or dusts. The remainder consisted
of dermatosis cases resulting from contact with
various chemicals.
What has been said earlier about the hazards
of welding operations to workers other than
welders again holds true here. Two out of every
five workers overcome by welding fumes were
not welders. Apparently the solution to this
problem does not consist simply in providing
respirator equipment for the welders; adequate
ventilation is essential whenever welding operations are carried on in confined workplaces.
Judging from the recommendations of the
1
See also "Chemical Poisoning in Shipyards", in Monthly Labor
Review, Apr. 1944, p. 761.
supervisors on the accident reports, most of them
are aware of the fume hazards in welding and
burning. But many of them do not understand
how to meet these hazards. Thus, one supervisor reported that he had repeatedly warned
workers against staying "too long in areas of
high fume concentrations". One may well ask
how the worker is to judge the degree of concentration or how long is "too long". On the other
band, many of the recommendations were both
specific and practicable.
Unlike those in welding operations, disabilities in burning operations were experienced
generally by the burners themselves. Many of
them appeared to be unaware of this hazard in
their operations and presumably had not been
properly instructed, or furnished with the proper
respirator or ventilator equipment.
Injuries during painting or paint-removing
operations called attention to the fact that many
of the wartime substitutes in paints, solvents
and thinners were not clearly known or their
toxic effects understood, or both. An obvious
means of prevention would be the requirement
that the composition of such substances be fully
known by the medical and safety department.
Several carbon-monoxide cases were reported
as having been caused by the operation of motorvehicle engines or portable gas engines inside
buildings. Other poisonings resulted from the
use of salamanders or make-shift stoves used for
heating enclosed work spaces during winter
months. As the prohibition of such practices is
general, these cases must be charged directly to
failure on the part of supervisors to enforce
accepted safety rules.
Nearly all cases of dermatosis were reported
to have developed over a period of continued
exposure to irritants. The practice of simple
hygiene generally recommended by medical
departments—thorough washing at the end of
the shift together with the use of protective
creams and gloves would probably have prevented many of these cases.
UNUSUAL SHIPYARD ACCIDENTS
The discussion thus far has dealt with major
causes and types of accidents. In every industry, however, there are unusual accidents which
challenge the ingenuity of the safety man. A
number of these, gleaned from the thousands of
individual accident reports submitted to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, are described below:
WOBK ACCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES SHIPYAEDS, 1 9 4 3
1. While burning through a channel iron
lying on the ground, a worker dug a hole
below the part being burned in order to
facilitate the work. The accumulation
of gas in this hole caused an explosion
which ruptured the burner's ear drum.
2. In the process of cleaning a tank, an
outside contractor was removing red
lead with a prepared cleaner. To accomplish this, live steam was forced through
the cleaning fluid which had been poured
into the tank. The manhole of the tank
was not completely covered. A welding
spark from overhead operations fell into
the tank, setting off an explosion which
severely injured an electrician working
nearby. A subsequent analysis revealed
that the cleaning fluid contained alcohol.
The use of the cleaner was forbidden.
3. Violating instructions, a worker used
compressed air to clean his clothes at the
end of the shift. The misdirected air
hose caused painful injuries to his eyes.
4. A small ground crane tipped over, pinning
a rigger leaderman between a pile of steel
members and the crane boom. All factors
seemed to be safe. Close inspection revealed, however, that a defective cable in
the rigging had snapped.
5. A welder fell about 40 feet to his death
when he slipped between the hand rail
and the plank of a staging. The plank
had shifted because of vibration.
6. A cable fastened through the eye of a
clamp snapped and struck a shipbuilder
on the head and chest when the eye of the
clip broke. The eye had been cut out
with a burner's torch. In the process, the
surrounding metal had been weakened.
The injured employee died.
7. A crane operator poured kerosene into
the heater in his cabin and an explosion
occurred. The operator either fell or
jumped into the river 75 feet below, but
died as a result of severe burns. The
report carried the recommendation that
gantry crane cabins be provided with
electric heaters.
8. A pipe-fitter and a machinist were filling
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
55
a tank with caustic soda, using the same
procedure they had used on previous
occasions. Suddenly vapour from the
soda backed up in the boiler and forced
soda into the faces of the men, causing
several burns. Acid masks were ordered
to prevent similar injuries.
A welder leaderman was changing the
lead wire for one of his men. But instead
of standing on the boat deck, he tried to
stand on the boat rail. He slipped, fell
overboard and was drowned.
As a janitor entered the joiner shop, he
was struck by a flying shaper blade which
severed his jugular vein, and caused his
death. The blade became dislodged from
the machine, struck a door, and rebounded to strike the janitor.
An electrical worker was pushed off a
gangplank when it tipped. The accident
happened at the beginning of a shift when
workers swarmed up the gangplank
before it had been properly secured.
The members of a rigging crew, working
in the interior of a vessel being repaired,
failed to place hatch, cover sections when
they sat down for lunch. At the same
time the lights were switched off by electricians who wanted to change electric
circuits while the rigger crew was away.
A burner, returning to his work at another
part of the vessel, walked into the open
hatchway, fell 30 feet, and may be paralysed for life because of a broken spine.
A welder leaderman introduced oxygen
into a tank to counteract welding fumes.
An electrode holder was dropped, causing
an arc which ignited the oxygen. The
resulting explosion severely burned a
welder. The suggested remedy was the
use of a standard ventilating exhaust fan
to remove fumes.
A painter was killed while working in one
of two adjacent elevator shafts. Only the
elevator in the shaft in which the painter
was working had been shut down. As the
painter leaned over into the adjoining
shaft to reach the back of a post, the
. descending elevator crushed his head.
56
SWEDEN
SAFETY ORGANISATION IN MUNICIPAL WORKS 1
An agreement reached between the Municipal
Workers' Union and some 170 municipalities in
Sweden will shortly put into effect the rules
governing the organisation of local safety workas agreed upon between the Swedish Employers'
Association and the Federation of Trade Unions.
As local government authorities do not belong
to the Employers' Association, a special agreement was drawn up with the separate agency
for joint labour negotiations, established by the
Swedish municipalities. Individual agreements
were then established with each municipality.
In many cases it was found necessary to conclude several agreements within the same municipality for different institutions and works,
public utility companies, etc. Although safety
committees, composed of managers, foremen and
workers' representatives are quite common in
most cases, the intention is to make this system
general, and in large towns with several works
and public utilities, to promote central safety
committees to act as co-ordinating centres.
The central agreement between the Union and
the municipalities' joint negotiation agency provides for the creation of a special four-man
board to solve more difficult questions.
A similar agreement will be negotiated with
the County Councils' Association.
SWITZERLAND
T H E ADVISORY OFFICE FOR ACCIDENT
PREVENTION IN 1942'-
The report of the Office for 1942 deals mainly
with safety on the roads, but to some extent also
with safety in industry, in sport and in agriculture.
As regards road safety one of the tasks of the
Office has been to discover the principal danger
spots and to make proposals for their elimination
to the authorities. In some cases the Office has
not been able to obtain satisfaction owing to the
> Swedish Labour Report, No. XII, Jan. 1944.
! For 1941, see Industrial Safety Survey. Vol. XVIII. No. 4, p. 140.
cost of the structural alterations that would be
entailed.
Since for various reasons a considerable number of traffic accidents are not reported to the
police, the Office has made arrangements with
insurance institutions for the supply of additional information so that it can be as well documented as possible on all causes of road accidents.
The Office takes the view that road safety
must be promoted first and foremost by technical measures since these are easier to devise
than measures dealing with the human factor.
One of the technical measures favoured by
the Office is the provision of separate cycle
tracks preferably at road level. Raised cycle
tracks have not proved very popular.
The
Office has also interested itself in the provision
of foot paths off the main roads.
Although road accidents have decreased
during the war from about 21,000 to about 7,000
a year, the number of collisions between cyclists
has actually increased by 64 per cent, and, since
the number of cyclists has increased only by 19
per cent., it would appear that it is not motor
vehicles that are the worst enemies of the
cyclists but the cyclists themselves.
The Office attaches great importance to adequate legislation and adequate enforcement.
At the present time it feels that both need
strengthening, and in particular it proposes that
legislation should be introduced to provide for
tests for cyclists, prohibition of cycling by persons who are not fit to ride, stricter supervision
of traffic by police, and the education of street
users by means of the ordinary schools, and
special courses and examinations for cyclists.
So far the only canton to meet the wishes of the
Office has been the canton of Berne which
issued regulations concerning cycle traffic in 1942.
The Office itself has undertaken educational
work by means of communications to the press,
the loan of lantern slides to schools, lectures to
travel associations, etc. A number of traffic tests
were organised in various parts of the country.
The Office has also specially concerned itself
with the risks inherent in generator gas vehicles.
One of its achievements in this connection was
the organisation of a competition with a view to
drawing attention to the risks and to discovering
new ideas for the prevention of accidents.
In the field of industrial safety the Office has
striven to promote safety instruction in apprentices' workshops. While these shops were found
to be equipped almost invariably with good
safety devices, they were not always imbued with
a proper understanding of safety principles.
For instance, there appeared to be scant appreciation of the value of orderliness in the keeping
of tools and the storage of materials. Nevertheless, the apprentices' workshops seemed to be
the best place for instilling safety ideas into
young persons and thus endowing them with
something that will be of utmost value to them
in their later life. It is understandable that an
apprentice's master often has not the necessary
time to devote to safety education but this
cannot be said of apprentices' schools.
Owing to the expansion and the intensification of agriculture the risk of agricultural accidents has increased, especially among the new
recruits who are working in strange surroundings. This is a matter of great importance at the
present time when there is an acute shortage of
agricultural labour and every lost-time accident
is a drag on production. The increased risk is
also likely to have adverse effects on agricultural insurance finance. Even before the war
the premiums were insufficient to cover the costs,
and in recent years the financial situation has
deteriorated. Hence agricultural circles have
been displaying more interest in accident prevention with a view, on the one hand, to preventing further accident losses and, on the other, to
avoiding an increase in insurance premiums.
In this field also the Office attaches great importance to orderliness since almost one half of
agricultural accidents are due to the fall, collapse or overturning of objects, a state of affairs
that seems to indicate the existence of disorder.
Much also remains to be done to improve the
operation of agricultural machines such as circular saws and chaff cutters.
NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL
The Thirty-second National Safety Congress
The Thirty-second National Safety Congress
and Safety Exposition was held in Chicago from
5 to 7 October 1943. The number of persons
57
attending the Congress again broke all previous
records and the active participation of the U.S.
Army, Navy and Air Force, of Federal Government agencies, and of an unprecedented number
of the Nation's industrial leaders was clear
evidence of the growing interest taken in the
prevention of occupational accidents.
This interest was further stimulated by a
message to the Congress from President ROOSEVELT, who, after referring to his proclamation
of 19411, again called upon the National Safety
Council and "all other safety forces of the
nation" to continue the campaign against accidents even more vigorously than before, so as
to "stop accidents and speed victory".
These words were chosen as the rallying slogan
of the Congress and during the three days'gathering some 125 scheduled sessions and numerous
other meetings were devoted to the discussion
of safety problems and to the exchange of views
on techniques used and experiences obtained in
industries and plants all over the United States
and Canada.
Of quite particular importance—and a good
sign for the future—was the fact that this year,
for the first time in its history, the Congress saw
the active participation of representatives from
the country's leading labour organisations. In a
special session on "Labour and Safety" prominent representatives from the American Federation of Labor, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen defined the attitude of their organisations
in respect of safety. This session also included
a round-table discussion on the responsibility of
labour and management for promoting safety
procedures, in which labour, management and
Federal Government representatives took part.
As a result of this discussion the following tentative programme was drawn up to establish a
working basis for the co-operation of organised
labour in the safety movement:
1. Promotion of safety should be as definite an objective of labour as wages and working conditions.
2. Management should actively seek labour's cooperation.
3. Education in the meaning of safety should be stressed
by management and labour to the end that the attack
on unsafe conditions and practices can be centred at the
job level through full knowledge of the principles of safety
by every worker.
4. The co-operation of workers must be sought without detracting in any way from the necessity for expert
and professional safety guidance in the plant.
i See Industrial Safely Survey. Vol. XVII, No. 3, p. 97.
58
5. Plant safety committees should always function
in full co-ordination with, and under the official sponsorship of, the plant safety department.
6. The basic responsibility for safety and the safety
programme is that of management. Labour recognises
that its co-operative effort must be dovetailed into the
management's structure with recognition of the authority
of management that runs concurrently with its basic
responsibility.
7. The physical condition of the plant with respect
to cleanliness, sanitation, and general housekeeping is
an essential factor in any safety programme, or in any
labour relation set-up.
8. It is our (i.e., the meeting's) opinion that organised
labour should co-operate more completely with the
National Safety Council. We therefore request that the
president of the Council communicate to the heads of
organised labour that we feel full co-operation of organised
labour with the National Safety Council is desired in
order to put across the best possible safety programme.
In other ways also, the influence of the new
administration of the Council and the results
of the reorganisation carried out by the new
leaders were clearly perceptible at the Congress
this year. While formerly the National Safety
Council was mainly a "membership service
organisation", self-supporting and rather egocentric, the conception of the new administration, namely, that the Council must have the
backing of, and co-operate with, all other
bodies interested in the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases, is now making
itself increasingly felt.
This idea was also clearly expressed by the
President of the Council, Col. John STILWELL,
in his report on the organisation's activities
during the last year, when he pointed out, that:
. . . We must not go back to trying to do the whole
safety job practically alone. We need all the help we can
get. We need the press, the radio, the magazines behind
us. We need public acceptance. We need business and
industrial management actively on our side. We need the
co-operation of all national organisations.
There can be no doubt that this new development will be highly beneficial to the whole safety
movement. It will most certainly contribute to
creating a much wider platform for the activities of the National Safety Council and to
giving a wider base to its annual congress.
At the Annual Meeting of members on 5
October, a new Constitution and Bye-laws for
the National Safety Council were adopted,
coming into force immediately after a meeting
of the Board of Directors held the same day.
The new instruments provide for the following
essential changes in the structure of the Council :
1. Instead of Bye-laws only, the Council now has
a Constitution, dealing with fundamental purposes,
methods of control, and privileges of members, and Byelaws covering operating details.
2. An Executive Board, consisting of 7 representatives
of sections, 7 of local safety organisations and 36 membersat-large (at least 6 of whom must be past-presidents)
takes over the essential functions of the former Executive
Committee. The Executive Board is to be elected by the
members at the Annual Meeting; the Board of Directors,
previously elected at that meeting, is discontinued.
3. A Conference of Sections and a Conference of Local
Safety Organisations are established, the former including
the present and immediate past general chairmen of all
sections and the latter consisting of the presidents and
managers of chartered local safety organisations.
4. A Nominating Committee, consisting of representatives of the Conference of Sections, the Conference of
Local Safety Organisations and appointees of the President
of the Council, is established to prepare a slate of nominations for membership on the Executive Board and for
Council officers.
5. The Trustees will no longer be elected by the Executive Committee, but by the members at the Annual Meeting. They will continue to conduct special solicitations of
funds for the Council's general activities and will have
authority over the disbursement of such funds.
Another change of considerable importance is
a 50 per cent, reduction of the minimum membership fee for industrial members ($12.50 instead
of $25.00, for undertakings with 100 employees
or less). This reduction should result in a considerable increase in membership of this important category, which needs the services of the
Council more urgently than perhaps any other
class in industry.
The Safety Exhibition again showed a great
number of safety devices and implements of all
kinds, including first-aid equipment, fire prevention apparatus, and a wide variety of installations and other material relating to industrial
health protection and sanitation.
Col. John STILWELL, Vice-President of the
Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. was
re-elected for a fifth term as president of the
National Safety Council and Mr. Ned H.
DEARBORN was re-elected as executive vicepresident.
The Thirty-third National Safety Congress
will be held in Chicago from 3 to 5 October, 1944.
T E N T H NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LABOR
LEGISLATION, DECEMBER
19431
This Conference was held in Kansas City,
Missouri, on 8-9 December 1943, the agenda
1
Résumé of the Proceedings of the Tenth National Conference on Labor '
Legislation, Kansas City, Missouri. U.S. Department of Labor, Bullet in
No. 65.
59
being devoted largely to discussions on wartime
working conditions in industry.
As a result of its discussions on various questions bearing on industrial safety and health
the Conference recommended:
(1) the enactment of legislation for the provision of
Federal aid to State Labor Departments for the expansion
of their inspection staffs;
(2) the establishment throughout industry of joint
labour-management safety and health committees, and
the training of the labour members of these committees;
(3) the dissemination by the U.S. Department of Labor
of information on health hazards;
(4) the creation of industrial hygiene divisions in
State Labor Departments;
(5) the vesting of rule making authority in State Labor
Departments for industrial health and safety purposes;
(6) the appointment of a Committee of State Labor
Commissioners to make a survey of rule making power
in the various States, and to study safety standards
promulgated for hazardous industries;
(7) the appointment of a Committee of State Labor
Commissioners to review the annual reports and other
publications of State Labor Departments and to make
recommendations with a view to their standardisation in
the interest of all States; •
(8) the revision of child-labour legislation.
New York
N E W YORK UNIVEESITY CENTER FOR
SAFETY EDUCATION
According to information given in Chemical
and Engineering News1 thirteen research fellows
at New York University's Center for Safety
' Vol. 22, N o . 10, 25 M a y 1944, p . 805.
Education are working on problems designed
to give increased efficiency in industrial production, and in the training, placement and supervision of workers.
The studies are units in the Industrial Accident Prevention and Production Efficiency
Series sponsored by the New York University
Committee on Industrial Research in the interest
of safety and rehabilitation of workers and returning service personnel. They include a study
of chemical hazards resulting from new processes in wartime industrial production.
Pennsylvania
STATE-WIDE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY CONFERENCE 1
The Pennsylvania Safety Conference of 1943
held at Harrisburg on 1 December 1943 was
attended by representatives of industry, labour,
insurance, the State Department of Labor and
Industry, and the Federal Department of Labor.
The Conference discussed several aspects of the
safety movement, the results achieved and the
future tasks. The subjects of the addresses
given included the participation of organised
labour in the safety movement, women in industry, the value of statistics, safety organisation in the shipbuilding industry, the contribution of insurance companies to safety, the Pennsylvania accident prevention contest, and the
activities of the Western Pennsylvania Safety
Council.
1
Pennsylvania
Labor and Industry
Review, J a n . 1944, p . 29.
60
ARGENTINA
DECREE N O .
15074
REGULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF
CREATING THE SECRETARIAT
OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE.
27 NOVEMBER
19431
The principal object of this Decree, as stated
in the Preamble, is to centralise the social activities of the State.
Among the bodies incorporated in the new
Secretariat are the National Labour Department, the Industrial Hygiene Section of the
National Directorate of Public Health and
Social Assistance, and the Accident Section of
the National Pension Fund.
The Secretariat will also exercise authority
over the industrial hygiene services of the Technical Inspectorate of Hygiene of the Federal
Capital, the inspection services of the Mutual
Insurance Associations and the inspection services for maritime, fluvial and port labour.
One of the tasks of the Secretariat will be the
revision of labour legislation.
It will be assisted by a Superior Council of
Labour and Social Welfare, the organisation and
functions of which have not yet been determined.
CANADA
Saskatchewan
REGULATIONS UNDER THE
ELECTRICAL
INSPECTION AND LICENSING ACT.
10 DECEMBER 19432
These regulations deal in detail with the
licensing of journeymen, contractors, dealers
and electricians and the inspection of electrical
apparatus and work. As a general rule apparatus, equipment, material and supplies inspected
and approved by the Canadian Engineering
Standards Association are deemed to be approved by the Saskatchewan Power Commission. Electrical work is generally governed by
the requirements of the Canadian Electrical
Code, and is subject to inspection by the Power
Commission, which may impose additional
requirements.
1
Derecho del Trabajo, Dec. 1943, p. 543.
'The Saskatchewan Gazette. 23 Dec. 1943, p. 61.
ACCIDENTS IN GRAIN ELEVATORS.
20 JANUARY 19441
The matters dealt with in these regulations
include transmission machinery, grain bins,
stairways, ladders, first aid, and manlifts.
Elevator operators must report all unsafe
conditions to the Saskatchewan Department of
Public Works.
M I N E S REGULATIONS.
20
JANUARY
19442
These are general regulations, in 226 Sections,
applying to all mines except coal mines.
They deal, inter alia, with the qualifications of
workers, responsibilities of supervisory staff,
ventilation, sanitation, explosives, protection in
working places, shafts, etc., fire protection,
rescue stations, ladderways and escape shafts,
protection against water, winding and haulage
of men and materials, machinery, first aid, dust,
electricity, surface plant, and mine rules.
There are also a few regulations for mills and
metallurgical works and quarries.
A particularly interesting provision is one in
Section 114 requiring every mine producing over
100 tons of ore a day and such other mines as may
be designated by the inspector to be equipped
with an approved apparatus for the introduction into the workings of ethyl mercaptan
or other warning gas or approved material.
GREAT BRITAIN
REGULATION RESPECTING TRAINING AND
SUPERVISION IN COAL M I N E S
An Order3 adding a new Regulation 58 AE to
the Defence (General) Regulations 1939 e m powers the Minister of Fuel and Power to require
the medical examination and adequate training
and supervision of persons entering the coal
mining industry.
T H E COAL M I N E S (SOUTH WALES)
4
(PNEUMOCONIOSIS) ORDER, 1943
This Order, made by the Minister of Fuel and
Power on 8 December 1943, enables directions
1
Order in Council 53/44. The Saskatchewan Gazette, 24 Jan. 1944,
p. 251.
Order in Council 60/44. The Saskatchewan Gazette, 24 Jan. 1944,
p. s57.
Statutory Rules and Orders, 1943, No. 1552, 28 Oct. 1943.
< Statutory Rules and Orders, 1943, No. 1696.
to be given to persons carrying on coal mining
undertakings in South Wales requiring them to
take certain specified measures for reducing the
amount of airborne dust below ground. The
Order also provides, inter alia, that undertakers
to whom such directions are given must provide
and maintain equipment necessary for the due
carrying out of the measures specified in the
directions.
THE
COAL MINING
(TRAINING AND MEDICAL
EXAMINATION) ORDER,
1944.
EFFECTIVE 1 FEBRUARY
1944'
This Order provides for the training, supervision and medical examination of certain persons
employed in mines.
The employment of a person on any type of
work in which he has no experience is prohibited
unless and until he has been adequately trained
and is capable of working without supervision.
In cases of work below ground or at the face for
the first time, close personal supervision for a
specified period is required. Persons employed
underground are required to have certain specified qualifications with respect to training,
experience, etc.
It is prohibited to employ any person under 18
years of age who has not been medically examined in accordance with arrangements made by
the Minister of Labour and National Service.
INDIA
Mysore
T H E MYSORE EXPLOSIVES RULES,
1943
The rules deal chiefly with the manufacture,
storage and transport of explosives, but also
regulate their importation and sale. Explosives
are divided into seven classes and numerous subclasses, for each of which separate packing rules
are provided. Other detailed rules govern the
distances to be maintained between magazines
and various types of other buildings according
to the amounts of explosives stored.
PERU
SUPREME RESOLUTION N O . 358 CONCERNING
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS IN LEAD M I N E S .
31
AUGUST
19432
The essential provisions of this resolution are
as follows:
1
Statutory Rules and Orders, 1941, No. 7.
! El Peruana, 22 Oct. 1943, p. 2.
61
1. Eating places for the workers must be
separated from the mining installations and
maintained in a hygienic condition.
2. The workers must be provided with
masks at places where the air is laden with
toxic substances, and at these places ventilation must be such that there is not more than
0.15 mg of lead dust per cubic meter of air.
3. The roads must be watered before being
swept and the supports must be kept clean.
4. Baths (showers) must be provided and
used.
5. Workers must undergo a medical examination at least once a month.
SWEDEN
INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING PROTECTION AGAINST
OCCUPATIONAL RISKS IN SPRAY PAINTING.
3 APRIL 1943l
These instructions, which replace earlier ones
issued in 1930, are in two parts: I. Spray painting
with paints containing noxious or inflammable
liquids with a flashpoint below 25°C; II. Spray
painting with other liquids.
Part I deals with constructional requirements
for the premises utilised, ventilation, including
exhaust ventilation, lighting, heating, electric
equipment and static electricity, air compressors
and receivers, paint containers under pressure,
protective equipment and first aid, personnel
rooms, cleanliness, fire protection, preparation
and beating of paint, storage of inflammable
liquids, and employment of minors.
New Jersey
STANDARDS FOR THE PROTECTION OF WORKERS
IN GAS AND ELECTRIC WELDING 2
The standards are in three parts: I. Gas welding and flame cutting, electric arc welding and
resistance welding; II. Eye protection in gas and
electric welding; III. Ventilation and health protection standards in gas and electric arc welding.
The subject matter ranges from the storage of
carbide to first aid and includes apparatus, protective equipment, clothing, fire prevention, and
electrical hazards.
1
"Anvisningar angaende Skydd mot Yrkesfara vid Sprutmalning".
Riksförsäkringsanstalten, No. 12, 1943.
2
Published by the State of New Jersey Department of Labor, 1943.
62
AUSTRALIA
New S o u t h Wales
FACTORY ACCIDENTS
REPORT ON D U S T HAZARDS IN FOUNDRIES 1
This report, issued by the Industrial Welfare
Division of the Department of Labour and
National Service of the Commonwealth of Australia, presents and discusses the results of an
investigation carried out in a number of Australian foundries to determine the dust exposure of
employees in processes such as moulding,
shaking-out, sand conditioning, abrasive blasting, rumbling, cleaning castings with wire
brushes, grinding, chipping, and annealing.
In many cases the workers were found to be
exposed to considerable dust hazards in some
processes, but in some foundries examples of
satisfactory dust control were found.
The results of the investigation confirm the
experiences obtained in other countries showing
that abrasive blasting, chipping and cleaning
castings with wire brushes are the processes
which present the greatest possibilities of producing silicosis among the workers in this industry. Similarly, the investigations showed
that in order to reduce the dust hazard several
combined measures, such as dust control, good
housekeeping, natural ventilation and a suitable
processing technique, are necessary.
The report suggests that an exposure, over
one complete cycle of operations, of 500 particlehours per cm3 may be considered as a practical
working standard for the foundry industry, with
the provision that where the dust contains over
50 per cent, of free silica the average exposure
should not exceed 200 particle-hours per cm3.
While it is not suggested than men may work
in such a concentration without any danger of
developing silicosis or fibrosis it is felt that this
standard can easily be attained by the industry;
it is considered that in this way the working conditions in foundries would be greatly improved
and the incidence of silicosis kept at a low rate.
1
" D u s t H a z a r d s in A u s t r a l i a n F o u n d r i e s " , b y A. A. R o s s , B . Agr.
Sc. a n d N . H . S H A W , B . A g r . S C , T e c h n i c a l R e p o r t N o . 1, I n d u s t r i a l
Welfare Division, D e p a r t m e n t of L a b o u r a n d N a t i o n a l Service, Aust r a l i a . 1943. 45 p p .
1942'
Although the number of employees engaged
in factories fell from 293,559 in 1941 to 285,279
in 1942, the total of 17,327 accidents reported to
the Department of Labour and Industry and
Social Services in 1942 represented an increase
of 3,506 over those reported in the preceding
year.
The following table shows the causes of accidents. Figures for 1941 are included for purposes
of comparison.
Cause
Machinery
Millgearing
Elevators, conveyors
Hot substances
Electricity
Gas
Other
Total
1941
1,528
44
•7
824
21
11
11,386
13,821
1942
1,803
104
44
1,267
30
6
14,277
17,531
CANADA
Alberta
REPORT OF THE WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION
BOARD, 1942
Increased industrial activity in 1942 was accompanied by a ten per cent, increase in accidents—18,680 as against 16,928 in 1941.
A merit rating plan applicable to industries
with higher assessment rates has been in force
for three years and is working satisfactorily.
Where employers were eligible for a merit rate
but failed to comply with the Board's safety
regulations, the rate was disallowed.
The Workmen's Compensation Board has
tried to assist industry in meeting wartime
safety problems by educational measures comprising monthly letters to employers and members of safety committees, the distribution of
bulletins and posters, safety talks with moving
pictures, and personal interviews with employi The New South Wales Industrial
Gazelle, D e c . 1943, p . 5 1 5 . F o r
1941 a n d p r e c e d i n g y e a r s , see Industrial
Safety Survey,
Vol. X I X ,
N o . 3 , p . 114.
63
OFFICIAL REPORTS
ers and workmen, as well as a large amount of
routine correspondence in connection with reported accidents and enforcement of the Board's
safety regulations.
By 1942 some 250 safety committees were
reporting regularly to the Board. The duties of
these committees consist in regular inspection
of their places of employment and education
of their fellow workmen in safe practices. Where
employers take an active interest in the work of
the committees, they have been able to reduce
their accident costs.
The Safety Department of the Board prepares
and publishes its own safety literature and posters. The latter are considered helpful in developing safety consciousness in the minds of employers and workmen. All new employees are
furnished with posters, regulations, and literature relating to their industry.
As a result of the educational work carried
on by the Board, the use of safety appliances such
as goggles, eye shields, hard hats and safety
footwear, is being gradually extended. Hard
hats have been found invaluable not only in coal
mines but also in the lumbering industry where
over half the fatalities have been due to head
injuries.
Owing to wartime restrictions in the use of
steel, plastics have been used for goggles, hard
hats and other safety appliances and have given
very satisfactory results.
Where required,
goggles can be procured with eye correction.
In compliance with the Board's safety regulations which require the employment of an industrial nurse where 200 or more workmen are
engaged, about 20 such nurses were employed
by various companies. These nurses are not
idle: in one plant alone and in one month, they
treated 954 injuries and made 3,106 redressings.
Since only 15 of these injuries were reported to
the Workmen's Compensation Board, it can be
seen that very large numbers of workmen are
saved from losing time by the prompt and constant attention given to their injuries by the
industrial nurses. The report adds that if it
were not for their excellent service, many workmen would not only be idle but also require
medical and hospital attention, thereby increasing the work of medical staffs.
The Board has continued to sponsor first-aid
classes in co-operation with the St. John's
Ambulance Association.
Use has been made of industrial accident
statistics to determine the major hazards in all
industries; to single out the employers with the
worst accident records; and to make practical
contributions to safety campaigns.
DENMARK
INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENT
STATISTICS
1934-19381
The Danish industrial accident statistics for
1934-1938 have been given a new form and are
much broader in scope than the statistics for
earlier years.
They include frequency and
severity rates, show the distribution of accidents
by industry, type of industrial equipment, cause
and consequence, and indicate not only shortcomings in both general and personal protection
but also the influence of the human factor. The
figures are presented in the form of tables accompanied by a detailed commentary.
The most important tables show :
(1) Frequency rates by industry; separately
for men, women, male juveniles and female
juveniles;
(2) Parts of the body injured, by industry;
(3) Frequency and severity rates and "risk
coefficient" by industry, the risk coefficient
being calculated from the frequency and
severity rates and the number and severity of
amputations;
(4) Technical and personal causes, by type
of equipment;
(5) Consequences, by type of equipment.
Table I shows accident frequency rates per
ten thousand workers by industry.
TABLE I
Rrequenc y
Under
8 years
Male
Fern.
Male
Fern.
99
117
308
197
98
253
94
82
93
215
110
84
102
21
113
247
69
22
0
83
45
117
67
81
23
110
57
404
122
91
98
114
56
19
42
4
50
68
16
51
7
155
55
68
55
59
11
81
65
375
83
84
101
101
62
128
70
129
41
106
Adults
Average
Industry
Food and drink
Textiles
Clothing
Paper
Printing
Woodworking
Leatherworking
Stone, clay and glass
Metals
Chemicals
Miscellaneous
Average
• Social! Tidsskrift, Oct. 1943, Part C.
64
The statistics are intended not only for the
factory inspection officials but for all employers
and workers who, it is hoped, will become more
safety minded by studying them. Accordingly
the statistics have been distributed among all
employers' and workers' organisations and technical high schools.
The total number of accidents in the period
under review was 2,700 of which 2,168 occurred
to adult men, 251 to adult women, 235 to male
juveniles and 46 to female juveniles.
Of the total of 2,700 accidents 1,837 were
accounted for by machine tools, 126 by falls of
persons, 119 by heat or cold, 109 by transport
equipment (including cranes), 99 by transmissions, 78 by falls of objects and 65 by lifts. The
causes of the 1,837 machine tool accidents are
shown in table II.
TABLE II
Contributory cause
No. of accidents
1. Mechanical and material defects
(a) Materials, construction,
installation, etc. :
69
Overloaded
(b) Safety arrangements, protective devices, etc.:
154
44
11
39
(c) Bad housekeeping, defective
lighting, ventilation, etc
Total
.
6
323
2. Working methods, 'working tempo,
lack of skill, physical condition
of workers, etc.
(a) Employer factor:
Dangerous working methods. .
Unsuitable working methods. . .
Rapid working tempo
Inadequate instruction or supervision; ignorance
69
27
11
64
(6) Worker factor:
Over-eagerness
Distraction, fatigue, illness,
strain, etc
Rashness, inattention
Unsuitable working clothes. . . .
Total
Fortuitous or unexplained
Grand Total
10
118
399
17
715
909
1837*
*The total figure is not the sum of the part totals since some accidents had both "material" and "subjective" causes.
The machine tools most frequently involved
in accidents were circular saws for lengthwise
cutting (356), planing machines (243), spindle
moulding machines (206), excentric presses
(113), band saws (82), circular saws for cross
cutting (79), punches (64).
Fatal accidents totalled 113 of which 99 were
to adult men, 4 to adult women, 9 to male juveniles and 1 to female juveniles. The most frequent cause of fatal accidents was falls of persons, which accounted for the deaths of 21 adult
men and one male juvenile.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE FACTORY
INSPECTORATE, 19421
At the end of the year establishments liable
to inspection numbered 43,631, of which 12,090
were subject to all the provisions of the Factory
Act, 29,890 were subject only to the provisions
respecting power-driven machinery and other
dangerous equipment, and 1,651 were dairies.
The number of inspections made was 38,168,
as against 33,775 in 1941. The increase is attributed chiefly to easing of the situation as
regards inspectors' travelling expenses.
The
percentage of undertakings inspected rose from
70 in 1941 to 77 in 1942.
During the year the Inspectorate issued instructions or recommendations respecting substitute chemical cleaning materials, health risks
in patina work, electric welding, impregnation
and lacquering of straw hats, filter masks, medical examinations and carbon monoxide risks
with gas-generator vehicles.
Inspectors continued to contribute papers to
various journals, and to give talks and lectures.
The Chief Inspector remarks that inspection
officials have spoken at more meetings than ever
before. He proposes to develop this kind of
activity which is considered an important feature of the Inspectorate's general propaganda
for industrial safety, health and welfare.
The usual annual meeting of inspection officials was not held, but there were a number of
group meetings at which many industrial health
and safety questions were discussed.
The statistical analysis of reported accidents
is being undertaken on new principles and accordingly the figures for the years after 1940
cannot be dealt with until some years have
elapsed. Figures for the years 1934-1938 were
published in 1943.2
' For 1941, see Industrial Safely Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 3, p. 115.
2 In Sociall Tidsskrifl, 1943, Afdeling C, p. 311. (See also the
preceding article.)
OFFICIAL REPORTS
The total number of industrial motors in use
decreased from 2,497 in 1940 to 1,283 in 1941 and
969 in 1942. Of the 1942 total, 488 were in factory industries, and 481 in agriculture. The corresponding figures for 1940 were 1,532 and 965.
Hoists and lifts subject to inspection numbered 6,660. The Inspectorate made 5,140 drop
tests and 1,420 other inspections.
There were 6,075 registered boilers (5,053
stationary and 1,022 movable) and 1,241 steam
cookers. Complete tests were carried out on
1,945 installations. Twenty-six were permanently, and 32 temporarily, condemned. No
boiler explosions occurred in 1942.
The Inspectorate had 4,931 bakeries on its
books at the end of 1942. It carried out 4,914
bakery inspections during the year.
The report contains numerous descriptions,
some with illustrations, of dangerous practices,
accidents, safety devices, health risks, etc. A
special section on industrial health deals with
silicosis, lead poisoning, organic solvents, skin
diseases and irritants. During the year 534 cases
of occupational diseases were reported, including
83 cases of skin diseases, 83 of silicosis, 105 of
lead poisoning, 85 of poisoning by solvents, and
81 other cases of poisoning.
GREAT BRITAIN
SOCIAL MEDICINE IN SCOTLAND
Under the title of "Health and Industrial
Efficiency, Scottish Experiments in Social Medicine", the Department of Health for Scotland
has published (1943) an extremely valuable and
interesting report on researches and experiments
to prevent incapacity from illness and accident,
and to restore, at least partly, the industrial and
social efficiency of persons so incapacitated. The
report describes the "Clyde Basin Experiment"
in preventive medicine, investigations conducted
with a view to minimising long-term incapacity
for work, and the rehabilitation work undertaken at the Gleneagles Fitness Centre.
NORWAY
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE FACTORY
INSPECTORATE, 19421
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the
Norwegian Factory Inspectorate, the Inspector1
For 1941, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XX, No. 1, p. 22.
65
ate's report for 1942 has been supplemented by
papers on "The Social and Political Background
of Norway's First Factory Inspection Act, the
Act of 1892", and "Fifty Years' Progress of the
Factory Inspectorate".
The first of these papers gives some very
interesting descriptions of conditions in industrial undertakings before safety legislation had
made its influence felt.
As regards industrial hygiene, the paper
quotes many instances of poor lighting, lack
of ventilation, disregard of cleanliness, gross
overcrowding of men and machines, miserable
housekeeping and the prevalence of harmful
dust and fumes.
In the 1880's, accidents were increasing owing
to the spread of machinery, especially in agriculture. Boilers and other steam plant were
only too often defective and dangerous, owing,
for example, to ignorance of the working pressure and poor maintenance, but in spite of these
conditions, there were surprisingly few accidents. The most serious accidents were caused
by transmissions. Among machine tools, firewood saws were the most dangerous; planing
machines took off hundreds of fingers, if not
whole hands.
For this situation the workers' indifference
and lack of skill were partly to blame, but in
extenuation it could well be argued that their
minds were dulled by very long hours of work;
moreover, there was a great lack of guards of all
kinds. Gradually the feeling spread among
employers that all the blame for accidents
could not be laid upon the workers, and that in
any case the prevention of accidents would be
to their advantage. Progress was at first hampered by lack of technical knowledge and the
consequent inability of employers to cope with
problems of guarding machinery and other industrial equipment; much had to be done by
the method of trial and error. Difficulties were
also made by the workers, who were sometimes
opposed to safeguards which they looked upon
as hindrances.
However, all obstacles were gradually overcome and it is instructive to follow the course
of the long movement that culminated in the
passage of the Labour Protection Act of 1892,
one outstanding result of which was the creation
of the Factory Inspectorate.
The difficulties with which the Inspectorate
has had to contend since the outbreak of war
did not diminish in 1942. Travel continued to
66
be greatly impeded by rationing and transport
restrictions, while shortages of material and
equipment placed almost insuperable obstacles
in the way of improvements in industrial undertakings. Nevertheless, the total number of inspections increased slightly to 5,897 as compared
with 5,795 in 1941. The corresponding figure
for 1939 was 6,286. Orders issued to undertakings totalled 9,448 as compared with 8,077
in 1941, and only 7,687 in 1939. The report
does not state how many undertakings were
subject to inspection in 1942.
Among the matters dealt with in instructions
or recommendations issued by the Inspectorate
during the year were circular saws, methanol
poisoning, eye protection, foundries, and medical
inspection of miners and of building and civil
engineering workers. Special mention is made
of courses of instruction in the lumber industry
which hâve been supplemented by films and
safety literature.
Generally speaking, employers are showing a
lively interest in the improvement of working
conditions including those affecting health and
safety but, as already mentioned, they are greatly
hampered by wartime restrictions of all kinds.
A considerable part of the report is devoted
to the description of safety and health matters
in individual undertakings in the different inspection districts. The inspector for the second
district remarks that among metal working machines, presses and punches with pedal controls
are the most frequent source of accidents.
On an average, these machines cause about 140
accidents a year, far more than are caused by
any other machine except abrasive wheels, for
which the average is about 130. The inspector
recommends that pedal controls should be replaced by two-hand controls and that by means
of guards and interlocking arrangements the
workers' hands should be completely protected;
an additional precaution is the use of tongs or
pincers for handling the work.
An illustrated description is given of an explosion in the cast-iron base of an electric grinding
machine. The machine consisted of an enclosed
electric motor and two abrasive wheels, one at
each end of the motor shaft. The star-delta controller of the motor was mounted in the base of
the machine. After work had been done on a
piece of wrought iron, the worker switched off
the current and then the machine exploded. The
accident is to be explained by the fact that the
motor became overheated and the windings
began to burn, the insulating material giving
off an explosive gas which filled the base of the
machine. For the prevention of other accidents
of this kind, it was recommended that the
switch should be placed outside the machine and
not in the base, and that vents between the
motor and the base should be covered with sheet
iron and packing so that no gas could escape
into the base should the motor become overheated. I t was not considered useful to ventilate
the base without hermetically sealing the motor,
for this would allow dust from the machine to
penetrate the motor and damage it.
There is also an illustrated description of a
safety sling made of steel straps and chains,
which is considered to be much more satisfactory than manilla slings.
The accidents reported during the year
amounted to 16,595 of which 130 were fatal. There
was a considerable increase in accidents in the
metal and wood working industries, lumbering,
agriculture and transport, but a slight decrease
in building and civil engineering. Accidents
were most numerous in the following industries :
building and civil engineering, 4,013, including
57 fatal; metals, 2,533, 9 fatal; wood working,
1,974, 9 fatal; agriculture and lumbering, 1,902,
15 fatal; transport, 1,642, 15 fatal. A considerable number of accidents are briefly described.
There is a short section on industrial diseases.
An analysis of pneumoconioses over the decade
1933-1942 shows that of a total of 1,140 cases,
414 occurred' among miners, 402 among moulders, foundrymen, grinders, fettlers and sandblasters, 136 among pottery workers, and 76
among tile workers.
Boilers and steam plant subject to inspection
in 1942 consisted of 4,532 fired boilers, 949 locomobiles, 293 electric boilers and 5,077 receivers—
a total of 10,851. General examinations of
boilers numbered 908 and of receivers, 832. In
addition, 1,048 annual inspections were made.
The boiler inspectors issued 2,969 orders. The
chapter on boiler inspection describes several
noteworthy accidents and also mentions that
the boiler regulations are under revision.
PALESTINE
ACCIDENTS IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY,
1939-1941 1
This report shows that, compared with other
countries, Palestine's accident frequency rate
1
Government of Palestine—Department of Labour Bulletin, No. 4,
Oct.-Dec. 1943, p. 9.
OFFICIAL REPORTS
in the manufacturing industry was rather high.
In 1939, the rate per 1,000 man-years worked
was 62 in Palestine as compared with New
Zealand's rate of 53 for the same year, and the
U.S.A.'s rate of 36 for 1938.1
Incidence of accidents increased considerably
from 1939 to 1941, an interesting feature being
the rise of accident rates during the hot summer
months in each year. Seasonal fluctuations are,
however, emphasised by an increase in the number of reporters, increase in the volume of employment and of hazards, and the seasonal variations in the volume of employment.
The greatest number.of accidents occur in
July, the frequency rate slowly decreasing during
August and September. This corresponds with
the hottest season of the year when fatigue
caused by heat is most common.
During the war, the average frequency rate
for all manufacturing industries rose from 62 to
84. The most marked increase was in metalworking industries where the frequency rate rose
from 120 in 1939 to 186 in 1941, and in the stone,
brick, tile and ceramic industry, where the frequency rate increased from 72 in 1939 to 126
in 1940 and 121 in 1941.
The number of serious accidents, causing
death or permanent disability, did not rise in
the same degree as accidents causing temporary
disability, and hence the severity rate remained
fairly constant during the period under review,
being 5.3 in 1939, 4.9 in 1940 and 5.3 in 1941.
SWITZERLAND
REPORT OF THE FEDERAL FACTORY
2
INSPECTORATE FOR 1942
In 1942 the factories subject to federal inspection totalled 8,850 in Switzerland and 18 in
Liechtenstein, the latter employing 594 workers.
In the Swiss factories a total of 430,921 workers
were employed, of whom 291,981 were males and
138,940 females. These figures include 16,605
male and 13,103 female juveniles under 18. The
largest industries were machines, apparatus and
instruments with 111,276 workers, clothing and
accessories with 49,255, and production and
working of metals with 46,982.
The inspectors investigated 5,410 factories
once and 478 more than once, the total number
1
It should be observed, in this connection, that while the statistics
for Palestine only include accidents causing absence from work for
more than 3 days, the statistics for New Zealand include all accidents
causing an absence of over 2, and those for the U.S.A. all accidents
resulting in more than one day's absence (Editor's note).
' For 1941, see Industrial Safely Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 2, p. 75.
67
of factory inspections being 6,535. In addition
726 other establishments were inspected, and
312 visits were made without inspections.
The inspectors of the 3rd Division (Central
Switzerland) mention that it has long been
impossible for them to inspect every factory
once in the year. They have preferred to concentrate on the large and more dangerous factories rather than reduce the time allotted to each
inspection. They do not attach much value to
cursory inspections, and, moreover, wish to be
looked upon as advisors as well as inspectors.
Owing to restrictions on building operations,
and at the same time the expansion of industry,
the inspectorate has had to tolerate, to an increasing extent, the provisional occupation of
premises that were far from meeting statutory
requirements, and would never have been authorised in normal times. Similarly, the inspectors have been compelled to accept lower
standards of industrial equipment. The result
has been a deterioration in the standards of
industrial hygiene, while the industrial processes
themselves have tended to become more dangerous to health owing to the employment of substitute materials, new noxious substances, and
simplified processes, often unhealthy. All these
circumstances will later throw additional work
on the inspectors. What is inadmissible is that
industrialists should hastily install themselves in
quite unsuitable premises without waiting for
an authorisation, and then levy veritable blackmail by threatening to close down their business, dismiss their workers or remove to another
canton.
Another result of the shortage of building
materials has been overcrowding of equipment
in factories to the detriment of both safety and
hygiene. This has been particularly serious in
hot, dusty and gassy places. Difficulties have
also arisen in connection with the finest precision
work for which a constant temperature is essential. Industrialists have endeavoured to stabilise
temperatures by means of artificial ventilation,
but the inspectors have not been willing to allow
this for large premises. Experience has shown
that the ventilating equipment is often defective,
and is even sometimes stopped altogether for
reasons of economy. Attempts have also been
made to introduce heating systems that recirculate vitiated air, and to mix ozone with vitiated air.
Architects have shown a liking for wide, low
windows that do not permit of adequate ventila-
68
tion, since the warm vitiated air cannot escape
through the windows from the higher parts of
the premises. Windows can also provide good
emergency exits, as experience has often proved.
The inspectors continued to examine plans
for the construction and extension of industrial
premises and to make numerous observations
on them from the standpoints of safety, sanitation and industrial hygiene. They consider that
in this way they have made a substantial contribution to social and economic well-being.
Mention is made of the revolutionary possibilities of modern lighting, but at the same time
a warning is given that the needs of each undertaking must be separately studied. A system
that has given excellent results in one factory
may not be at all satisfactory in another where
the work is quite different.
Now that equipment and materials of all
kinds are so hard to get, employers are more
inclined to listen to advice from inspectors on
the prevention of accidents that may destroy
plant even if they do not injure workmen.
To reduce the risks of short circuits and electrocution some factories have been equipped
with transformers that step down the lighting
circuits from 220 to 20 or 30 volts; this measure
has not only removed the dangers inherent in
accidental contact but has also improved the
lighting.
Increasing use has been made of explosive
bombs filled with extinguishing powder as a
means of fire fighting. The bombs are connected
to fuses distributed over the most dangerous
places and if a fire breaks out the fuses are
ignited and the bombs exploded.
All the divisions have something to say about
industrial solvents and especially benzol and
chlorinated hydrocarbons.
ACCIDENTS IN W A R PLANTS 1
Many striking facts are given in a recent press
release of the Office of War Information.
The general seriousness of the accident problem is indicated by four brief statements :
1. Industrial casualties since Pearl Harbour
(to Jan. 1, 1944) are 37,600 killed—7,500 more
than the military dead; 210,000 permanently
disabled and 4,500,000 temporarily disabled—
60 times more than the military wounded and
missing.
2. Injuries account for four times as many
i Office of War Information, Press Release NB-1977, 20 Jan. 1944.
lost man-hours as strikes. Manufacturing has
50,000 workers absent every day because of
accidents.
3. Deaths and injuries on the job are occurring now at the rate of 270,000,000 lost man-days
a year, the equivalent of the withdrawal of
900,000 workers for a full year from the production lines.
4. Accidents cost employers $35 a year for
every worker employed.
Nevertheless, the industrial fatality rate is
only two thirds as high as in the last war; and
the loss of life and limb would be incalculably
worse if management, government, labour,
insurance companies and safety agencies had
not been able to secure the quickest application
of safe practices ever known in industrial history.
The expansion of safety organisation still
lags behind the expansion of industry and a
majority of American war plants are still operating without an effective safety programme.
The manufacturing industries have an average frequency rate of 20 lost-time accidents per
million man-hours worked. This means 20 out
of every 500 workers are injured or killed in a
year. Such industries as mining, lumbering and
construction are estimated to have a still higher
rate. On the other hand, in hundreds of plants
a persistent "will to safety" has brought about
frequency rates that can be considered almost
the irreducible minimum—rates of one to five
per million man-hours.
Industry has proved through safety engineering experience that nine tenths of all worker
accidents can be prevented. The fatigue of
workers, the strain on equipment and the rush
conditions of wartime production made that
percentage less possible of attainment but it
stands as a goal. Many companies with longestablished safety methods began their war
production with safety preparedness. The plants
which have been most spectacular in reducing
accident frequency are those in which management and labour, using government-industry
facilities, pool their resources to operate against
unsafe factors—factors which are both physical
and psychological.
Mr. Paul V. M C N U T T , Director of the War
Manpower Commission, declares:
When we measure the coming requirements
against the current manpower loss from accidents in industry, we have to accept the fact
that industrial safety has become a major war
problem. We have an untapped reservoir of
manpower in the accidents that do not have to
happen.
OFFICIAL EEPORTS
Mr. Harold C. MESCH, Chief of the Safety
Equipment Section of the War Production
Board, has estimated that industry spent
$100,000,000 in 1943 for safety equipment. The
chemical industry leads with purchases of $6
per head. In some major manufacturing industries the purchases per head are less than $1.
His report shows that the highest buyers of
safety equipment have the lowest accident frequency rates for their class of industry.
Agencies working against job accidents and
interchanging information and services include
the National Committee for the Conservation
' of Manpower, set up by the Secretary of Labor,
Frances PERKINS, before Pearl Harbour; the
Health and Safety Division of the Provost Marshal General's office of the War Department;
the Safety Engineering Section, Shore Establishments Division of the Navy Department;
Maritime Commission; National Safety Council; the casualty insurance companies; State
labour departments; American Standards Association; the Office of Labor Production of the
War Production Board ; the Wage and Hour and
Public Contracts Divisions of the Department
of Labor and societies of engineers.
The National Committee for the Conservation of Manpower in War Industries recruited a
volunteer field force of 600 practiced safety men
employed by private industry. The management of safety-successful plants gave the services
of these engineers.
To the management of 20,000 plants they
brought a safety consulting service. Of these
plants 4,377 had records which could be used
in comparing experience before and after committee service. Of these 74.2 per cent, had a
decrease in accident frequency; 4.8 per cent.
reported no change and the remaining 21 per
cent, continued to show an upward trend.
As a result of the Committee's work, 18 per
cent, of the 20,000 plants initiated a safety programme; 5 per cent, employed a full-time safety
engineer; 6 per cent, employed a part-time safety
engineer; 15 per cent, organised plant safety
committees, and 27 per cent, enrolled supervisors in safety training courses.
By 15 November 1943, the Committee had
enrolled 47,222 persons in 96-hour safety training
courses, of whom 90 per cent, came direct from
the nation's production lines at the shop floor
supervisory level. Twenty-hour safety courses
for foremen have also been offered throughout
the country. The syllabuses of both courses
69
were devised by the Division of Labor Standards
and the classes were set up under the Engineering, Science, Management War Training Programme of the Office of Education.
One safety training class, composed entirely
of union representatives has been instituted at
A¥ayne University, Detroit, Michigan. It was
organised by John W. GIBSON, President of the
C.I.O. for Michigan.
The Army's safety activities extend to
6,000,000 workers in privately operated plants
under Army contracts. Its safety programme
covers more than 40 per cent, of the total number
of the country's workers in manufacturing operations, as well as more than 700,000 workers in
Army-operated plants.
Maj. Gen. Allen W. GULLION, the Provost
Marshal General, has called the Army programme
"the most intensive for conserving human life
ever undertaken by any agency".
The Army-operated plants have a frequency
rate of 12.1 per million man-hours worked. Their
general rate is 30 per cent, below.that of the
privately operated plants under Army contracts.
In 1943 the frequency rate in the private plants
increased from 18.4 in January to 21.1 in July.
Although the Provost Marshal General's Office
has the same minimum standards for both private plants and Army plants, the Army plants'
better showing is attributed to greater strictness
in safety practice and to the direct responsibility
for safety of military personnel in charge. In all
plants the Army utilises joint safety committees.
The Navy's programme covers more than
600,000 workers in plants operated with Navy
and Civil Service personnel. Here accident frequency rates dropped from 18.46 in 1942 to
15.75 in 1943. I t had only four more fatalities
in 1943 than in 1942 although man-hours in
1942 were about 65 per cent, above 1942. The
Maritime Commission is the safety representative of the Navy in shipyards under Navy
contract.
The Division of Labor Standards reports that
the participation of workers as union representatives on plant safety committees is a fairly
recent development.
Some long established
unions, such as the International Association of
Machinists and the United Mine Workers, have
had contracts for many years providing for joint
union-management safety committees.
There has been no common agreement that
management-union committees offer the best
approach to plant safety, but the Division of
70
Labor Standards points out that union participation in safety programmes has resulted in lowered
accident frequency. In some cases the union
has more success in,interesting workers in the
subject than management.
The Machinists and the Mine Workers have
equal representation with management on safety
committees. The United Automobile Workers
and the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers usually submit names of
union members to management from which
management makes a selection.
The International Resistance Company in
Philadelphia and the Ford Plant at Chester, Pa.,
have over-all safety committees composed of an
equal number of representatives from management and the union. Other companies have a
network of safety committees throughout the
plant with one union man as the top representative on the labour-management committee.
record since the compilation of complete data
relating to non-fatal accidents in 1930.
Summary figures of employment and accidents
in 1940 and 1941 are given in table I.
The distribution of accidents by main cause
groups in 1941 is shown in table II.
TABLE II
Fatalities
Bitu- AnthraTotal
minous
cite
Underground:
Falls of roof or face
M i n e cars a n d locoE x p l o s i o n s of gas or
coal d u s t :
Local explosions. . .
M a j o r explosions. .
Explosives
Electricity
Machinery (cutters,
Miscellaneous
Total underground.
Shaft
Stripping
C O A L - M I N E ACCIDENTS IN 1941 '
Despite an intensification of production never
Bituminous
1941
1940
Anthracite
1940
1941
N u m b e r of
employees:
U n d e r g r o u n d . . . . 366.000 374,953 68,639 65,583
4.893
4.501
14,239 18,605
Open-cut
60,608 64,186 18,888 18,864
Surface
440,847 457,744 92.420 88.948
Total
Killed:
172
172
1,136
994
Underground. . . .
5
6
22
34
Open-cut
16
46
44
7
Surface
184
194
1,204
1,072
Total
Injured:
13,783
14,752
U n d e r g r o u n d . . . . 39,696 42,218
1,339
1,450
144
172
Open-cut
2,959
2,969
1,860
1.904
Surface
15.787
16.828
Total
43.994 46.637
F a t a l i t y r a t e (per
million m a n hours) :
1.765
1.900
1.796
Underground....
2.200
0.819
0.994
1.144
0.973
Open-cut
0.271
0.526
0.449
0.568
Surface
1.503
1.491
Total
1.923
1.551
I n j u r y r a t e (per
million m a n hours) :
U n d e r g r o u n d . . . . 76.879 74.956 152.277 154.004
60.512 48.802 23.588 27.888
Open-cut
33.817 30.265 72.009 67.637
Surface
Total
70.281 67.487 128.929 129.339
F a t a l i t y r a t e (per
million s h o r t
tons) :
4.144
Underground.. . .
2.711
2.160
4.122
0.814
0.519
0.613
0.832
Open-cut
2.610
2.078
3.574
3.585
Total
I n j u r y r a t e (per
million s h o r t tons)
U n d e r g r o u n d . . . . 94.749 91.720 322.035 353.532
31.611 26.137 23.432 23.851
Open-cut
Total
95.366 90.422 306.606 310.968
434,639 440,536
19,132
23.106
79,496
83.050
533.267 546,692
1,308
27
53
1.388
100
674
12.452
2,738
15,190
191
27
218
9.833
1,737
11,570
23
66
24
42
8
12
5
31
66
36
47
39
4
22
14
39
4
36
985
166
1,151
9
6
15
34
6
40
1,450
12
13
19
8
1
7
20
14
26
753
320
1,896
>
Grand total
1
150
119
269
245
737
134
94
379
831
4,457
18
14.256
775
9,1 16
5,232
18
23,372
42,148 1 4 , 7 1 3
56,861
70
39
109
201
1.651
407
217
1,251
1,160
537
3,147
44
16
60
2,969
1,875
4,844
1,072
194
1.266
46,637
16,328
63,465
Further details of the accidents due to falls
of ground and haulage are given in table III.
TABLE III
1,166
40
60
1,266
Fatalities
N o n - f a t a l injuries
C a u s e of a c c i d e n t
53,479
1.483
4,819
59,781
56,970
1,622
4,873
63,465
2.155
0.956
0.468
1.855
1.769
1.115
0.475
1.542
Bituminous
Falls of ground:
Falls of roof (rock,
coal, or d r a w slate)
Roof falls d u e t o car
or m a c h i n e k n o c k ing o u t p o s t
Falls of face or r i b . .
R u s h of coal rock
or gob
Total
88.124
52.528
42.522
79.876
86.446
45.207
38.598
77.287
2.841
0.557
2.707
2.323
0.638
2.222
116.140
30.575
116.576
113.482
25.874
111.365
before achieved the United States coal mining
industry in 1941 established the best safety
U.S. Bureau of Mines, Bulletin No. 456, 1944.
574
Surface:
T o t a l surface
Total
1941
1940
Bitu- AnthraTotal
minous
cite
or open-cut
Machinery
Miscellaneous
TABLE I
Underground
haulage:
S t r u c k , r u n over, or
squeezed
between
cars or locomotives.
Squeezed
between
car a n d r i b t i m b e r
Derailments
Rerailingcars
P u l l i n g or p u s h i n g
cars by hand, strain
A n i m a l s on h a u l a g e .
F a l l i n g from
cars
( n o t r u n over)
Runaway
c a r s in
d i p s or slopes
O t h e r h a u l a g e acciTotal
cite
Total
Bituminous
cite
504
72
576
8,242
1,234
9,476
15
48
—
19
15
67
164
3,741
10
1,284
174
5,025
Total
7
9
16
305
210
515
574
100
674
12.452
2,738
15.190
100
19
119
4,898
812
5,710
47
12
3
6
1
53
13
3
2,041
528
598
437
72
76
2.478
600
674
—
522
197
81
30
603
227
188
—
—
—
1
—
1
135
53
19
1
20
162
6
168
9
—
9
752
170
922
191
27
218
9,833
1,737
11,570
71
OFFICIAL REPORTS
Table IV shows the principal items in the
group of miscellaneous underground causes.
TABLE
IV
Fatalities
Bitu- AnthraTotal
minous
cite
Bitu- AnthraTotal
minous
cite
with commentaries giving particulars of employment, frequency and severity rates, and
causes by type of mine and method of mining,
together with summary comparisons with past
years.
Table I summarises the year's accident rates
for various types of mine.
Falling material or
F a l l s of p e r s o n s . . . .
Handling materials.
H a n d tools
S t e p p i n g o n nails o r
o t h e r s h a r p objects.
S t r i k i n g or b u m p i n g
a g a i n s t objects . . . .
3
3
3
3
3
2
1
6
6
5
1
1.234
1.822
6.146
2,987
1,328
1.242
3,558
1,497
2,562
3,064
9,704
4,484
167
265
432
684
367
1.051
R a t e per million m a n - h o u r s
3
3
TABLE v
1 to 4
5 to 9
10 t o 24
25 t o 49
50 t o 99
100 t o 199. . . .
200 t o 299
300 t o 3 9 9 . . . .
400 t o 499. . . .
500 t o 599
600 or m o r e . . .
Total....
Mines
Total
underground
employees
Fatality Injury
rate
rate
per
per
million million
manmanhours
hours
underunderg r o u n d ground
Fatality
rate
per
million
tons
Injury
rate
per
million
tons
2.370
1.182
1.027
516
498
472
229
130
71
48
74
6.172
7,757
15.839
17,776
35,552
68,559
54,446
44,866
30.866
26,278
66.842
7.20
3.45
1.99
1.25
1.91
1.93
1.87
1.79
1.56
1.70
1.12
22.19
36.95
69.81
74.37
91.47
90.23
78.10
83.38
78.92
70.37
52.34
12.21
6.55
3.72
2.04
2.56
2.34
2.12
1.93
1.66
2.01
1.42
40.68
70.26
130.20
121.48
122.51
109.65
88.35
.89.60
83.74
83.31
66.53
6.617
374.953
1.76
74.96
2.16
91.72
The VI shows the general trend of accident
rates in United States coal mines during the
last 40 years.
TABLE
1911-1915
1916-1920
1921-1925
1926-1930
1931-1935
1936-1940
1941
Killed
Injured
K i n d of m i n e
The relation between size of mine and accident rates for bituminous mines can be seen
from table V.
Underground
employees
per m i n e
TABLE I
VI
Killed p e r million m a n - h o u r s
Killed p e r
million t o n s
1.80
1 64
1 89
1 90
1 69
1 72
1 54
4.76
3.86
3.96
3.75
3.06
2.70
2.22
Under- Open
ground c u t
Lead a n d zinc
(Mississippi
Valley)
Gold,
silver
Surface
Under- Open
T o t a l ground c u t
0.33
0.42
1.12
0.86
Surface
Total
1.64
1.13
0.49
0.59
81.05 14.18 21.10
30.98 16.15 4.31
53.71
22.22
0.75
3.58
0.71
63.06 46.54 25.92
58.64
1.18
0.95
0.33
0.89
119.98 35.61 46.29
90.99
1.17
0.14
0.35
1.41
0.94
0.37
1.38
124.54 46.14 47.36 106.43
17.27 11.22 43.05 39.48
97.37 45.77 64.76 83.65
Gold,
silver:
lode
Gold: placer. .
Miscellaneous
1.29
0.48
0.53
1.73
Non-metal. . .
1.48
0.58
—
0.73
69.57 46.32 33.87
T o t a l , 1941 . .
1.24
0.62
0.30
0.91
85.28 25.07 33.94
62.17
T o t a l . 1940. .
1.28
0.79
0.35
0.97
85.75 26.87 32.90
64.00
TABLE
50.89
II
Killed
Injured1
Underground:
Fall of rock or ore from roof
or wall
Rock or ore while loading at
working face or chute
Hand tools
Explosives
Haulage
Falling down chute, winze,
raise, or stope
Run of ore from chu te or pocket
Drilling
Electricity
Machinery
Mine fires
Suffocation from natural gases
Inrush of water
Stepping on nail
Handling materials (other
than rock or ore)
Other causes
Total underground
74
2,402 (1)
2
1,146
961
103 (3)
1,510 (1)
16
11
22
3
1
5
5
2
6
563 (1)
585 (1)
1,164 (1)
15
471
7
'42
9
229
1
12
1,352
1,770
160
12,329 (8)
23
257 (1)
29
1,171 (1)
18
2,015
Shaft:
M E T A L AND N O N M E T A L - M I N E ACCIDENTS
1941'
The report on metal and non-metal mine
accidents in 1941 consists of 36 statistical tables
1
U N I T E D S T A T E S B U R E A U O F M I N E S : Metal-
and
Non-metal-Mine
Accidents in the United
States
During
the Calendar
Year 1941
(excluding coal mines), b y W . W . A D A M S a n d F . J . K E N N E D Y , Bulletin
457, W a s h i n g t o n , 1944.
Total
Open-cut:
Total
Surface :
Total
Grand Total, 1941
Grand Total, 1940
•
230
223
15,772 (10)
14,766 (6)
1
T h e figures in b r a c k e t s a r e t h o s e of p e r m a n e n t t o t a l d i s a b l e m e n t s
i n c l u d e d in t h e t o t a l s .
72
Although the number of men employed in
the mines was the largest since 1926 the general
acöident frequency rate for 1941 was the third
lowest since 1911, the earliest year for which
TABLE
III
Rates per million
man-hours
Men
employed
Method of mining
Open stope, including roomand-pillar and sublevel
stoping
Shrinkage
Cut-and-fili
Square-set
Block caving
Suhlevel caving
Top slicing
Open-cut, with povver shovel.
Open-cut,hand
loadingonly.
Total
Injured
Killed
17,039
4.261
4,191
13,877
3.051
2.794
3,588
12,100
341
40
21
12
50
8
9
6
61,242
163
17
2,480
1,165
1,246
3,180
1,073
207
208
518
10,111
34
I
1.06
1.09
1.22
1.54
0.95
1.46
0.77
0.16
1.15
Injured
65.56
116.14
126.82
98.20
127.94
33.55
26.69
18.22
50.05
7 1.45
Table I I I gives frequency rates by type of
mining.
In placer mines, out of a total of 762 accidents
(7 fatal), 691 (5 fatal) are accounted for by
dredging, the principal cause being handling
materials (208 accidents, 2 fatal).
The trend of rates for all mines, except coal
mines, over the last thirty years can be seen in
table IV giving averages for five-year periods.
As will be seen from table V, the downward
trend in rates has been most marked in iron
mines. Non-fatal rates in gold, silver, etc.,
mines and non-metal mines were higher in
1941 than in 1915.
Table VI is an interesting statistical statement of the relative safety of the various
branches of the mineral industry in 1941.
TABLE IV
Period
Fatal rate
According to the estimates of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, work injuries during 1942
resulted in 18,100 fatalities, 1,800 permanent
total disabilities which completely disabled workers from any further industrial activity, 100,800
permanent partial impairments, and 2,147,000
temporary total disabilities.
Non-fatal rate
4.01
3.70
3.23
3.02
2.51
2.18
2.16
1911-1915
1916-1920
1921-1925
1926-1930
1931-1935
1936-1940
1941
198.37
241.34
273.04
210.20
147.95
165.89
148.08
TABLE
Copper
Year
1915
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1941
19421
INDUSTRIAL INJURIES IN
Gold, silver,
miscell aneous
v
Lead and zinc
(Mississippi Valley)
Iron
Non-metallic
mineral
Total
Killed
Injured
Killed
Injured
Killed
Injured
Killed
Injured
Killed
Injured
Killed
Injured
3.72
3.43
2.94
2.76
2.05
2.36
2.70
322.0
323.2
350.6
193.5
157.8
126.8
129.0
4.79
4.20
3.83
4.49
2.86
2.44
2.10
201.5
204.8
307.4
239.7
182.7
221.9
214.5
2.88
2.34
2.54
2.68
2.15
1.86
2.06
233.5
200.5
159.4
81.4
42.9
45.4
53.5
5.37
3.27
3.32
1.63
2.26
3.31
1.69
238.3
328.0
468.1
176.6
166.0
132.9
139.7
2.43
2.89
1.71
0.75
1.01
1.74
1.75
107.8
161.9
165.4
138.3
116.9
102.6
121.4
3.89
3.16
2.99
2.92
2.42
2.30
2.16
248.6
242.0
283.5
167.9
150.4
152.5
148.1
figures are available. During this 31-year period
only 1938 and 1939 show lower fatality rates,
and only 1931 and 1932 lower non-fatal injury
rates. The accident totals for the year 1941
were 230 fatal and 15,772 non-fatal, as compared with 223 fatal and 14,766 non-fatal in 1940.
The distribution of accidents by principal
causes and severity is shown in table I I .
Under the head of open-cut, the principal
causes were handling materials, with 239 accidents (0 fatal), hand tools 146 (0), and falls of
persons 143 (1) ; and on the surface, the principal
causes were handling materials 547 (3), machinery 299 (2), falls of persons 283 (2), and
hand tools 208 C I -
TABLE VI
Industry
Coal mines
Bituminous
Anthracite
All metal mines
All non-metal mines
All quarries
In and about q u a r r y . . . .
In outside works
Metallurgical plants
All coke ovens
Total, 1941
Total, 1940
Number killed or injured
per million man-hours
Killed
Injured
1.54
1.55
1.49
0.92
0.73
0.44
0.81
0.21
0.26
0.25
77.29
67.49
129.34
63.31
50.89
39.67
61.33
26.22
25.81
13.17
1.12
1.33
62.68
64.08
1
Monthly Labor Review, Nov. 1943, p. 865. For National Safety
Council Statistics, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XX, No. I, p. 28.
73
OFFICIAL REPORTS
Statistics relating to 21,000 manufacturing
establishments show that from 1941 to 1942
employment increased by 16 per cent., manhours by 22 per cent., and injuries by 34 per
cent. In some industries the increase in injuries
was double the increase in employment. The
general frequency rate increased by 9 per cent.
The reasons assigned for the upward trend
of work injuries during 1941—inexperienced
workers, rapidly expanding employment, overcrowded plant facilities, and failure of safety
activities to keep fully abreast of these changes
—hold for 1942 as well. Two further reasons
may be noted—the general lengthening of working hours, and the heavy replacement of experienced workers, drawn into the armed forces,
by less-experienced or inexperienced help.
The weighted accident-frequency rate of the
entire group of manufacturing industries was
19.9. In 1941 it was 18.1. A total of 27,328
establishments reported more than 15,600 million
employee-hours, worked by about 7,111,000
employees. Of the nearly 305,000 disabling injuries, about 0.4 per cent, were fatalities, about
0.04 per cent, permanent total disabilities, 4.2
per cent, permanent partial impairments, and
about 95.3 per cent, temporary total disabilities.
In comparison with 1941, the increase in injuries
was primarily in temporary total disabilities.
The relative percentages of fatalities and permanent impairments were lower in 1942 than
in 1941.
As was true in earlier years, the logging industry had the highest number of disabling injuries per million employee-hours worked, 89.6.
Even so, this frequency rate is lower than that
of 96.3 for 1941. Sawmills, however, had a
higher rate—61.7—in 1942 than in the previous
year—54.5.
Other manufacturing industries
with high frequency rates are wooden containers,
50.2; foundries, 49.7; slaughtering and meat
packing, 44.8 (an increase of 45 per cent, over
the 1941 rate of 30.9); forgings, 38.0 (a considerable reduction from the 1941 rate of 44.5);
shipbuilding, 33.1 (25 per cent, above the previous year's rate of 26.4); canning and preserving, 33.0 (about 10 per cent, above the 1941
rate); and motor-vehicle parts, 31.9 (50 per
cent, higher than the 1941 rate of 21.2).
The ordnance group experienced relatively
low frequency rates. For the group as a whole
the weighted rate was 14.8. The large-arms
ammunitions industry had the highest rate in
the group, 17.2. The rate in the production of
tanks was 9.3 (against 18.3 in 1941) and tank
parts, 7.7. In comparison, the rate for motor
vehicles was 11.3, for motor-vehicle parts, 31.9,
and for the aircraft industry, 11.4 injuries per
million hours.
As in 1941, the iron and steel group led all
manufacturing groups in the total of work injuries. The estimate ' is 93,900 disabilities,
accounting for 7,450,000 days lost. Although
the time loss of 1941 was exceeded in this group
by only 5.7 per cent., the number of injuries was
exceeded by about 26 per cent. For the lumber
group, the total estimates are 93,600 injuries
and 8,935,000 days lost.
Ranking third in 1942, as against sixth in
1941, the transportation industry had 89,200
injuries and 6,304,000 days lost. In this group,
the shipbuilding industry alone is estimated to
have had 59,200 injuries and about 4,250,000
days of lost time.
Fourth was the food products group, with
75,300 injuries and a time loss of over 4,750,000
days. Next followed the textile group, with
58,900 injuries and nearly 3,000,000 days lost;
the machinery group with 53,200 injuries and
3,461,000 days lost; the ordnance group with
47,500 injuries and 4,134,000 days lost; chemical
products, with 27,000 injuries and nearly
3,500,000 days lost; and finally, the stone,
clay, and glass products group with 23,500 injuries and about 2,000,000 days lost.
New York
ACCIDENTS TO MINORS,
19421
A report of the Division of Statistics and Information of the New York State Department
of Labor shows that compensation costs were
paid to 8,816 minors during 1942. This includes
30 death cases.
Of this total, 384 workers were under 17
years of age, 2,860 were 17 and 18 years of age,
and 5,572 were 19 and 20 years of age.
Accidents to, minors were fatal in 3.4 cases
out of every 1,000 while the rate for workers
21 and over was 8.1 per 1,000. This is due to
the fact that young workers were not exposed
to the gravest occupational hazards. Approximately three fourths of the compensation
awards, i.e., 6,653 cases, were for temporary
disability only, while 2,133 young persons were
permanently disabled.
The report includes a description of the most
i The Industrial Bulletin (New York), July 1943, p. 289.
74
significant of the fatal accidents, as well as a
detailed table showing 104 accidents to minors
illegally employed where employers were obliged
to pay additional penalties.
Ohio
ACCIDENTS IN OHIO,
19421
The Annual Statistical Report for 1942 issued
by the International Commission of Ohio gives
information respecting accident totals and payrolls by industry, severity of accidents by industry, causes by industry and severity, and
parts of the body injured by nature of injury.
There are no frequency or severity rates.
In the decade 1933-1942 an average annual
labour force of 1,500,000 filed 2,056,401 compensation claims; in the first year of the decade,
130,316 claims were filed and in the last, 318,148.
The six most frequent causes of accidents are
1
1942 Annual Statistical Report, issued by The Industrial Commission of Ohio. Columbus, Ohio, 1943.
given as: machinery, 67,254 claims with 43
fatalities; hand tools, 32,442 with 16 fatalities;
metal stock (not otherwise listed) 26,978 with
10 fatalities; bundles, barrels, boxes, benches,
etc., 21,028 with 15 fatalities; flying objects,
dust, cinders, etc., 20,471 with no fatalities;
pipes, rods, sheets or plates, 19,950 with 11
fatalities.
Of a total of 9,592,042 days lost in 1942,
1,447,764 are charged to machinery in respect
of 67,254 accidents; 857,680 to motor vehicles
(7,957 accidents); 503,032 to other vehicles
(9,127 accidents); 345,411 to hand tools (32,442
accidents); 311,217 to highly inflammable and
hot substances (11,266 accidents); 265,154 to
coal (1,844 accidents); 258,828 to platforms,
scaffolds and stairs (4,685 accidents) ; 255,265
to hoisting appliances (1,973 accidents); and
254,673 to bundles, barrels, boxes, benches,
etc., (21,028 accidents). Occupational diseases,
of which there were 5,498 cases, are charged
with 893,288 lost days.
Weight-Lifting. By R. E. TUGMAN. {Industrial Welfare
and Personnel Management, November-December 1943,
p. 169.)
The author distinguishes between carrying and lifting
weights and points out that hernia, which is the most usual
injury attributed to weight-lifting, is often the result of
physical weakness rather than actual muscular strain.
I t is suggested that wherever possible, mechanical weightlifting equipment should be used, and that the weight and
bulk of loads to be lifted by hand should be reduced. The
installation of platforms, racks or benches reduces vertical
lifting, and the correct training of new employees does
much to eliminate weight-lifting injuries as do the wearing
of adequate safety footwear and the keeping of floors and
surfaces clean and in good repair. I t is particularly emphasised that women and young persons should not be
employed in the lifting of heavy weights.
In conclusion Mr. TUGMAN draws attention to the fact
t h a t the general health of the employee is a powerful contributing factor in weight-lifting accidents and suggests
t h a t accidents of this kind should be investigated by the
medical as well as by the safety officer.
A M a t t e r of Proper C o n s t r u c t i o n . By Captain Robert F. ALEXANDER, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army.
(Safety Engineering, April 1944, p. 10.)
The author analyses the causes of accidents on construction work undertaken by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
The Corps has an accident prevention programme which
includes the embodiment of safety clauses in all construction contracts. The obligations imposed on contractors
in virtue of these clauses are extremely comprehensive.
They entail the provision of first-aid and medical services;
the appointment of a full-time safety engineer when 1,000
or more workers are employed; the reporting of lost-time
accidents in accordance with t h e . recommended practice
of the American Standards Association; the maintenance
of adequate medical records; the maintenance of specific
health and sanitary standards; the provision and use of
guards and protective equipment; and the observance of
specified regulations relating to explosives, inflammable
materials, machinery and other equipment, and many
other matters.
The statistics compiled under the Corps' safety programme show that unsafe acts on the part of supervisors
and injured workers contributed up to 82 per cent, of the
accident total. According to the analysis of nearly 5,000
accidents in which equipment was involved, general construction equipment accounted for 24 per cent, of these
accidents, but for 49 per cent, of the lost time resulting from
them; motor vehicles were involved in 21 per cent, of the
accidents and accounted for 33 per cent, of the lost time;
hand tools were responsible for 29 per cent, of the accidents
and 5 per cent, of the lost time; miscellaneous equipment
for 25 per cent, of the accidents and 13 per cent, of the
lost time.
The most frequent cause of general equipment accidents
was failure to watch, warn or signal workers likely to be
endangered by moving equipment.
The eight combinations of unsafe practices and conditions discussed below caused 75 per cent, of all injuries:
(1) Backing and turning machines, swinging booms,
lowering buckets, etc., without looking, warning or signalling.
In this connection there would appear to be a general lack
of responsibility and of organisation for controlling movements. Devices or other means for warning workers were
seldom provided. Signalmen were not posted, instructions
were not given and existing rules were not enforced until
EEVIEW OF PERIODICALS
after accidents happened. When hand signals were required, operators frequently disregarded the requirement.
Repairmen and oilers were often injured because the
operator started up before the men had completed their
work and left the machine. Maintenance men were apparently not provided with warning tags to prevent unexpected starting. Signals and instructions were often
confusing. When several employees were working together
one was not specifically designated to give all signals.
Verbal instructions were not repeated. The practice of
going under equipment and in other dangerous places
without notifying the operator or taking other precautions
was the cause, of several deaths. Many accidents were
ascribed to failure to station signalmen at congested or
dangerous places.
(2) Getting on or off equipment unsafely, unauthorised
riding, etc. The worst accidents under this head happened
in getting on and off moving tractors, caterpillars, bulldozers and railway cars, but most injuries were incurred
in getting on and off stationary equipment. Jumping off
was one of the worst practices.
(3) Defective timing, brakes, clutches, cables, etc. Here the
worst injuries were due to defective brakes and worn
cables, and in many cases they resulted in costly delays
and property damage.
(4) Working or walking under skips, buckets, loads. Most
of the injuries here occurred in hooking and releasing
loads; men failed to step back a sufficient distance while
loads were raised or to stay back until they were lowered.
Some employees did not recognise the dangers of loose
railroad ties, planks, and other heavy materials in the
paths of moving equipment. When such materials were
struck by wheels they flew up and hit nearby workers.
(5) Failure to retard spark, grip handle correctly, stand
correctly, etc., in cranking. Cranking was the largest single
source of injuries in the operation of tractors and caterpillars.
(6) Oiling, adjusting, repairing, etc., without stopping
machines.
Injuries under this head were exceptionally
numerous in operating concrete mixers. Most of the remaining accidents occurred in oiling and repairing draglines, power-shovels and cranes. The average loss of time
per non-fatal injury was as much as 241 days. The most
hazardous moving parts were cables; riggers, oilers, operators and repairmen were caught while freeing, adjusting
and repairing cables near sheaves and pulleys. Another
prominent source of accidents was moving gears, cranes,
shovels and draglines; oilers were frequently injured while
attempting to grease parts without stopping the machinery.
(7) Unguarded and inadequately guarded fans, gears, etc.
Most of the injuries under this head were due to unguarded
gears on power shovels, mixers and cranes. Some bad
injuries were due to the failure of mechanics to replace
guards and inspection plates after repairs.
(8) Insecure grip, too heavy load, lifting with back, etc.,
in handling by hand. Half of the handling accidents were
caused by failure to take a firm hold in lifting, carrying
and placing machine parts. The injured men were usually
engaged in making repairs, adjustments or changes in
equipment.
Organizing C o n s t r u c t i o n Safety from Coast to
Coast. By C. W. KINNISON. (National Safety News,
January 1944, p. 11.)
75
an analysis by cause of 600 compensated accidents involving workers in iron and steel foundries during the first
half of 1943.
Miscellaneous objects, i.e., moulds, flasks, castings,
containers, etc., were the cause of 252 accidents, while
80 were the result of contact with hot and corrosive substances, and 66 involved cranes, hoists and conveyors.
Hand tools, including hand-motive, electrical and pneumatic tools accounted for 54 injuries, while 47 were attributed to machines.
The most costly injuries were occupational diseases,
injuries due to machines ranking second, and accidents'
caused by cranes, hoists and conveyors third.
A detailed list of the accidents, showing the cause of
each, is included.
Making Money T h r o u g h Safety. (Coal Age, April 1944,
p. 112.)
This article stresses the economic aspect of safety,
pointing out that safe mining is efficient mining. Attention is drawn to the fact that although fatal accidents are
most in the news, they are by no means the measure of the
total suffering, damage and loss of production experienced
in coal mining. In the bituminous coal mines of the United
States, for instance, there were some 1,248 deaths in 1943,
while non-fatal injuries were estimated at 51,200. This
means that in the bituminous-coal industry approximately
one man was injured for every eight employed. In the
anthracite industry the figures for 1943 were: about 228
fatal and 15,500 non-fatal injuries, and one injured or
killed out of every five employees.
The article includes a list of safety measures that reduced accident costs from 12.9 cents per ton to 4.4 cents
per ton. It concludes by saying that "there is ample reason
for the feeling that present accident rates could be cut at
least in half with little extra effort or expense, with a corresponding decrease in cost to the industry and a higher
standing in the public eye".
Electrical Safety Offers Benefits T h r o u g h Reducing
Injuries. By Paul M. BARLOW. (Coal Age, March
1944, p. 75.)
Supplemented by a series of graphs and statistical
tables, this article indicates the increased hazards resulting
from the use of more electrical equipment underground
in coal mines. Proper safety measures would do much to
reduce mine fires, explosions and other accidents caused by
electricity and the development of a national electrical
code for mining is strongly advocated.
Safety Measures o n t h e Mines. (The South African
Mining and Engineering Journal, 8 January 1944,
p. 425.)
The article stresses the human factor in mining accidents, and describes the educational and propaganda
activities of the Prevention of Accidents Committee of the
Witwatersrand gold mines. The means employed by the
Committee include technical investigations, accident enquiries, the provision of protective equipment, technical
literature for managements, booklets, leaflets and posters
for workers, broadcasting, safety competitions, first-aid
and ambulance training and rescue training. 1
This illustrated article outlines how the Austin Company in the United States handled a vast building programme safely in spite of the special problems created by
large numbers of inexperienced workers, new materials,
transportation difficulties, and the pressure and hazards
of war construction.
Emphasis was placed particularly on experienced leadership and the training of new employees in safe methods
of work.
Accidents in Foundry Occupations as J4 nalyzed by
Cause. (The Industrial Bulletin (New York), April
1944, p. 138.)
Nearly 5 per cent, of all injuries in shipyards reported
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics during the first
seven months of 1943 involved cranes and other lifting
devices. The proportion of fractures, amputations and
brain concussions amounted to 38 per cent. Forty per
cent, of the workmen injured were not members of regular
crane crews. The importance of training crane operators
not only to avoid injury to themselves but also to guard
others from the dangers of their equipment is strongly
stressed.
In this brief article, the Division of Statistics and Information of the New York State Department of Labor gives
1
For a fuller description of the Committee's work, see Industrial
Safely Survey. Vol. XVII, No. 4, p. 132 (1941).
Causes of Crane Accidents i n Shipyards.
Labor Review, March 1944, p. 55.)
(Monthly
76
Frequent and thorough inspection and careful maintenance of hoisting equipment are also essential to safety.
Although material defects caused a substantial number
of crane accidents, by far the greatest number were cases
of forcible contact between the crane load and the workers,
i.e., improperly attached loads falling from slings on
workers below; workers being struck by swinging loads;
or loads being lowered on workers.
C h e m i c a l P o i s o n i n g in Shipyards.
• Review, April 1944, p. 761.)
(Monthly
Labor
In the United States, chemical poisoning in shipyards,
although relatively infrequent in occurrence as compared
with traumatic injuries, accounted for 495 disabling cases
of poisoning or occupational diseases during the first nine
months of 1943.
Of these, 203 were cases of metal-fume fever resulting
from the inhalation of zinc oxide fumes produced in burning
or welding galvanised metal; 194 were cases of poisoning
resulting from inhalation of other fumes, smoke or dusts;
and 98 cases of dermatosis resulting from contact with
chemicals, fumes and dusts.
The fact that two in every five workers overcome by
welder's fumes were not welders indicated that adequate
ventilation is essential where welding is carried on in confined spaces. Knowledge of the materials used in painting
and paint-removing operations is also important since it
was found t h a t some war-time substitutes among the ingredients of paints, thinners, etc., were toxic.
Dermatosis resulted from contact with paints, paint
thinners, solvents, cutting oils, creosote, oil, grease, kerosene and glass-wool insulation. In most cases it was due
to continued exposure over a long period, and the use of
adequate protective clothing and creams together with
thorough washing at the end of each shift would probably
have been sufficient preventive measures.
Safety in Floor Loading.
By Charles W. BAKBER.
{Safety, March 1944, p. 82.)
The author of this article discusses, in some detail, the
dangers of overloading the floor area of structures or buildings and indicates methods of determining the allowable
live loads for a structure, and of discerning whether an
area is overloaded or not.
Measures for relieving overloaded areas are also suggested.
Safety Calls for Color. By M a t t DENNING.
Engineering, May 1944, p . 10.)
(Safety
This interesting, illustrated article advocates the use
of the "language of colour" as an aid to industrial safety.
I t outlines briefly a Safety Colour Code for Industry in
which six specific colours (yellow, orange, green, red, blue,
white, and black or gray) are used for specific safety jobs.
L i g h t i n g for Horizontal Spindle M a c h i n e s . By A. W.
LARSON.—Lighting for Vertical Spindle M a c h i n e s .
By E. E. E L L I O T T . — L i g h t i n g for S h e e t - M e t a l
Fabrication. By E. R. D ' O L I V E . — L i g h t i n g for Milli n g M a c h i n e s , Shapers and Planers. By R. E.
LAGERSTROM.—Lighting for Welding. By R. R. LUSK.
(Illuminating
Engineering,
March 1944, pp. 151-205.)
These five articles are detailed technical studies of
general and local lighting and are profusely illustrated.
The article on sheet-metal fabrication deals with lighting
for shears, sheet-metal brakes, and punching and forming
presses.
W h e n t h e H e a t ' s On. (National Safety Neios, June 1944.,
p. 16.)
Gives advice on clothing, sunburn, diet, etc., in hot
weather and stresses the need for an adequate intake of
salt.
Accidents to P a r t - t i m e Workers. (Industrial Accident
Prevention Bulletin, September-November 1943, p. 29.)
Recently there has been some discussion in Great
Britain of the reasons for lower accident frequency rates
among part-time workers than among full-time workers.
In one works it was found that one accident occurred to
every 48 full-time workers as against one to every 171
part-time workers; these rates being equivalent to one
accident per 2,404 man-hours of full-time work and one
accident per 4,617 man-hours of part-time work. I t is
suggested that these figures are sufficiently interesting to
justify a wider investigation of the matter, possibly by the
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents with the
assistance of the Industrial Health Research Board.
Models for Safety I n s t r u c t i o n .
April 1944, p. 19.)
(U.S.
Steel
News,
Illustrated description of three-dimensional working
models of equipment made for use in safety instruction.
The models were found effective not only in illustrating
many different accident hazards but also in training new
employees with little or no job experience.
La creaciôn de e s t a d o s psicologicos propios para
la seguridad. By Joss MALLART. (Bolelin de Seguridad
e Higiene del Trabajo, Madrid, Nov.-Dec. 1943, p. 4.)
The author discusses various physio-psychological characteristics that have a bearing on individual accident
proneness. His conclusion is that persons with an abstract
type of intelligence, a great power of concentration, slow
reaction, emotional temperament and general introvert
character are more liable to accident than persons with a
practical type of intelligence, diffuse attention, quick reaction, calm temperament and extrovert character. He then
goes on to consider how the accident-prone can be better
protected against accidents and refers in particular to
general and technical education, vocational selection, the
provision of good working premises, the establishment of
good working conditions and lastly the improvement of
the workers' welfare in general.
Arbeiterschutz im Kriege.
ary 1944.)
(Südost-Econo?nist, 7 Janu-
This article consists of summaries of two papers on industrial safety in wartime read before the Hungarian
National Commission for Industrial Hygiene by Dr.
George GORTVAY, Director of the Hungarian Employment
Office, and Dr. Viktor DISCHKA, Vice-Chairman of the
Federation of Hungarian Factory Owners.
Dr. GORTVAY deals with the relation between accident
frequency and factors such as nutrition, increased hours of
work, employment of unskilled workers and mechanisation, with special reference to Hungarian experience.
The frequency of accidents and industrial diseases in
Hungary has increased during the war as a result of the
inflow of unskilled workers, the employment of new materials and machines, the introduction of new processes,
the shortage of experienced supervisors, the restrictions
on lighting and the higher tempo of production. I t has
been calculated that between 1936 and 1942 the annual
number of industrial accidents rose about 45 per cent.
but during the same period the aggregate number of workers increased by about 100 per cent. In 1941, however,
both the number of insured workers and the number of
accidents increased by about 10 per cent. In some industries, e.g., transport, mining and iron and steel, the increase in accident frequency was particularly marked
although no mass accidents have been reported.
The number of cases of industrial diseases remained
relatively low—only 72 in 1942—but increases were noted
in the explosives and aircraft industries and also in industries using chlorinated solvents. The general condition
of public health deteriorated somewhat in 1942 but it has
not been possible to draw any definite conclusions with
regard to the working class. Considerable importance is
BEVIEW OF PERIODICALS
attached in Hungary to the investigation of occupational
diseases and the National Social Insurance Institute has
established examination centres that have done valuable
work in connection with lead poisoning, hygiene in the
printing trades, silicosis, etc.
Attention has also been paid to various biological and
physiological factors of production and it has been found
that the rationalisation of workers' movements has not
always resulted in increased efficiency because interference
with natural movements and tempo has provoked rather
than avoided fatigue. Similarly a too rapid transition
from manual to mechanised work may produce nervous
disorders, and here the author's conclusion is that either
processes should be made fully automatic or that the
workers should be only gradually adapted to new tempos.
77
Research is also being undertaken on the human factor
in production, accident and disease for it is realised that
different individuals react in different ways to any set of
circumstances.
Dr. GORTVAY concludes with an expression of regret
that there is no central institution in Hungary for the
study of industrial health.
Dr. DISCHKA is concerned with the promotion of production by the provision of hygienic working premises,
factory medical services and welfare services such as canteens, food shops, high-class housing, hostels, recreation
and holiday facilities, nurseries and mutual aid societies.
In such welfare services the author sees a means of counteracting the tendency towards monotonous standardisation
in industry.
RECENT BOOKS
Weight Lifting by Industrial Workers. Ministry of
Labour and National Service, Safety Pamphlet No. 16,
Revised Edition. Published by H . M . Stationery Office,
London, 1943. 37 pp.
The original version of this pamphlet published in 1937
was reviewed in some detail in Industrial Safety Survey,
Vol. XIII, No. 6, p. 183. The revised version contains
more recent statistics and some new text. I t is now arranged in the following sections: incidence of weightlifting accidents; protection against foot injuries; chief
causes of accidents; suggestions for better lifting methods;
special consideration of certain industries (textiles, docks,
tin plate, sanitary pipe, bricks, tanning) ; and influence of
factors such as food, temperature and ventilation.
Analyses of weight-lifting accidents involving at least
three days' absence from work in Great Britain during
three-monthly periods in 1929, 1933 and 1942 reveal a
rising tendency. The figures are as follows:
Period
Adults-18 yrs.
and over
Males
Feb.—Apr., 1929
May—July, 1933
Jan.—Mar., 1942
866
962
2,410
Young persons
under 18
Total
for
Females Males Females 3 months
33
38
350
36
45
149
13
10
33
948
1,055
2,942
The industries chiefly responsible for these accidents
are the metal, engineering, munitions and associated industries making metallic equipment.
By far the commonest form of injury is muscular strain.
Next comes hernia, and third contusions and lacerations.
The principal accident causes considered are excessive
ratio load: body-weight; poor team-work; failure to use
mechanical equipment; faulty posture; and static muscular
effort.
There are 30 illustrations and a bibliography.
Use and Misuse of F l a m e Safety L a m p s . Information
Circular No. 7271. U.S. Bureau of Mines, January 1944.
14 pp.
Briefly describes some serious coal mine explosions due
to misuse of flame safety lamps; discusses the most suitable
types of lamp, the need for regular testing and for the
proper training of users; and concludes with 13 suggestions
for the care and use of lamps. Refers particularly to the
dangers of smoking underground and of entrusting lamps
to colour-blind miners.
M i n e - F a n Signal Alarms and Power Releases. Information Circular No. 7262. U.S. Bureau of Mines,
Washington, D.C., November 1943. 8 pp.
The circular draws attention to the dangers attendant
upon stoppages of ventilation fans, and describes, with
illustrations, a number of automatic devices for opening
the underground circuits and actuating a warning signal
when a fan does stop. I t is also suggested that such devices
should be installed so as to function when ventilating
doors are left open.
Anthracite M i n e Fires: Their Behavior and Control U.S. Bureau of Mines, Bulletin No. 455, Washington, 1944. 206 pp.
As remarked in the introduction to this volume, fire
fighting in mines requires the collaboration of the mining
engineer and the chemist. The purpose of the volume is
to discuss the role of the chemist. The discussion is thorough and its value is enhanced by numerous photographs,
drawings, charts and d a t a tables, a voluminous bibliography and a detailed index.
There are six main parts:
Part I on heating and cooling deals with the rates of
heat generation and heat dissipation in a pile of coal, and
methods of calculating the liability of a pile of coal to
ignite spontaneously.
Part I I deals with the effects of oxidation on the composition of coal.
Part I I I , on the composition of mine atmospheres and
their significance in connection with fires, deals, among
other things, with the effect on the composition of gaseous
oxidation products of: (a) temperature and time of contact;
(6) particle size and coal composition; (c) oxygen concentration; and (d) extent of oxidation; gases distilled from
anthracite; disappearance of mine-fire gases by "sorption"
and solution; and disappearance of hydrogen and carbon
monoxide through bacterial action.
Part IV, miscellaneous data pertinent to fires, deals
with the inflammability of gases in mine-fire atmospheres,
and secondary reaction rates and equilibria (producer gas,
water gas, limestone and ferrous sulphate).
Part V deals with rapid methods for determining
relative heating tendencies; and
Part VI gives the history of an anthracite mine fire
with special reference to seals.
Fires in Surface M i n i n g and Milling S t r u c t u r e s .
Information Circular No. 7250. Published by the U.S.
Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C., September 1943.
9 pp.
Describes some recent surface fires at mines and lays
down simple safety rules.
78
S t e m m i n g in Metal Mines. Progress Report 7. Report
of Investigations No. 3725. Published by the U.S.
Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C., October 1943.
19 pp.
The seventh report describes tests to ascertain the
effects of sand stemming with two cartridges of 40 per cent.
ammonia gelatin dynamite per hole. With the stemming,
blasting was found to be generally more effective and
economical.
Neoprene ( G R - M ) : Safeguarding Workers Handling
S y n t h e t i c Rubber in t h e Rubber Industry. Rubber
Series No. 1. U.S. Department of Labor, Division of
Labor Standards. Washington, 1944. 45 pp.
Introductory sections describe the uses, composition,
properties and methods of manufacturing and processing
neoprenes. The remainder of the pamphlet deals with
engineering control of solvent vapours; fire and explosion
hazards; fire hazard properties of certain inflammable
liquids, gases and volatile solids; the storage, handling
and use of solvents; and safety clothing for the manufacture of solvent rubber.
A table of causes of 193 rubber plant fires assigned 74.09
per cent, to manufacturing processes, 16.58 to dryers and
ovens, and 9.33 to storage. Among the manufacturing
processes, the most frequent causes were-electrical (25.39
per cent, of all rubber plant fires), static sparks (19.69)
and friction (12.96); in dryers and ovens, spontaneous
ignition comes first with 5.70 and is followed by overheating with 4.14 and hot pipes or ducts also with 4.14;
and in storage, spontaneous ignition is again first with
2.07 and is followed by smoking 1.56 and exposure 1.56.
Another table summarises the fire hazard properties
of common solvents used in neoprene processing and fabrication. The data tabulated include flash point, ignition
temperature, explosive limits and boiling point.
The section on storage, handling and use of solvents
consists of 34 safety and health rules.
The pamphlet is profusely illustrated.
Safety of M a c h i n e Tools and Other P l a n t . No. 1.
F e n c i n g of Drilling M a c h i n e Spindles, Chucks and
T o o l s . Factory Department, Ministry of Labour and
National Service. Form 291. Published by H.M. Stationery Office, London, January 1944. 12 pp.
An annotated collection of drawings of various types
of guards.
Safety of M a c h i n e Tools and Other P l a n t . N o . 2.
and other Safety Precautions. Factory Department,
Ministry of Labour and National Service. Form 292.
Published by H . M . Stationery Office, London, January
1944.
18 pp.
Briefly describes the chief sources of accidents and the
general precautions to be taken with horizontal milling
machines, and then comments on detailed drawings of
various guards and safety devices.
Safety of M a c h i n e Tools and Other P l a n t . No. 3.
Drop H a m m e r s — P r o p s and Catches. Factory Department, Ministry of Labour and National Service.
Form 293. Published by H. M. Stationery Office, London, January 1944. 16 pp.
This pamphlet consists of a brief text and several
detailed drawings of safety devices. I t deals with hammers
operated by friction lifters, board hammers, and steam and
pneumatic hammers.
V e n t i l a t i o n and H e a t i n g , Lighting a n d Seeing.
Industrial Health Research Board of the Medical
Research Council. Conditions for Industrial Health
and Efficiency, Pamphlet No. 1. Published by H. M.
Stationery Office, London, 1943. 20 pp.
Explains simply the importance of proper ventilation,
heating and lighting, and gives some advice on means
of achieving them. Also deals with the prevention of eye
strain by the use of spectacles. Includes bibliographies.
Noxious Gases and t h e Principles of Respiration
Influencing Their A c t i o n .
By Yardell HENDERSON
and Howard W. HAGGARD. Second and Revised Edition.
Reinhold Publishing Corporation. New York, 1943.
294 pp.
The American Chemical Society have sponsored this
volume and included it in their series of monographs.
From the standpoint of respiration, noxious gases are
classified by the authors as: (1) irritants, (2) asphyxiants,
(3) volatile drugs and drug-like substances, and (4) inorganic and organometallic gases (poisons). Group 4 is
divided into six subgroups: (1) primary irritants, (2)
primary anaesthetics, and (3)—(6) anaesthetics, etc.,
t h a t cause venous kinds of injuries.
The volume consists of 18 chapters: I. General survey
of the field; I I . Elements of respiration; III. Respiratory
functions of the blood; IV. Practical applications of the
laws of gases and vapours; V. Principles determining
absorption, distribution and elimination of volatile substances; VI. The significance of standards for physiological
response to various concentrations of gases and vapours;
VII.—XVI. Detailed consideration of members of the four
groups mentioned above; X V I I . Methods of resuscitation
and comparison of various treatments; first aid; X V I I I .
Prevention of poisoning by noxious gases.
A bibliography is appended to most of the chapters.
There is also a supplementary note on breathing machines,
and an index.
Studies on Explosives a n d Explosions.
Fiscal Year
1943. U.S. Bureau of Mines. Report of Investigations
3745. February 1944. 49 pp.
The researches reported on relate mainly to the inflammability of gases and vapours, hazards in the use of Diesel
locomotives, and accidents due to explosive substances.
Other matters briefly touched upon include the ignitibility
of black powder, toxic gases from explosives, cushioned
blasting and permissible explosives.
Among the gases investigated were mixtures of butadiene and air; trichloroethylene, oxygen and nitrogen;
ethyl mercaptan and air; cyclopropane, oxygen and
helium; and anaesthetic mixtures.
The explosive substances involved in accidents included
alcohol, azide, acetone, acetylene, chlorates, cork dust,
liquid oxygen and metal powders.
Accidents D u e to M i s u s e of Explosives. U.S. Bureau
of Mines, Washington, D.C., Information Circular
No. 7259. November 1943. 14 p p .
Sets out some simple precautions in the handling and
use of explosives and describes some accidents resulting
from bad practices in mining, lumbering, farming, quarrying, and well-sinking.
L i m i t s of Inflammability and I g n i t i o n T e m p e r a t u r e s
of Acetic Anhydride.
U.S. Bureau of Mines. R . I .
3741.
December 1943. 5 pp.
Describes, with illustrations, the nature and results of
laboratory tests. The temperatures between which air
saturated with acetic anhydride vapour forms inflammable
mixtures were found to be 47.3 and 74.4°C. These figures
correspond to concentrations of 2.67 and 10.13 per cent.
by volume. The flash point was 51 C C. and the ignition
temperatures were 392°C. in air and 361° C. in oxygen.
Training M a n u a l for Auxiliary F i r e m e n .
Published
by the National Fire Protection Association, Boston,
Mass., 1943. 406 pp.
A comprehensive but concise text book for civil defence
workers, especially fire fighters. I t is well arranged and
illustrated and as far as the rapidly changing nature of air
warfare allows, tells the auxiliary fireman what he needs
to know.
79
RECENT BOOKS
Present-Day P l a n t Fire Protection. American Management Association, New York. Insurance Series, No. 50.
1943.
28 pp.
A series of papers by experts on various practical
aspects of the subject.
P r i m e r o s Auxilios.
Cartilla E l e m e n t a l para los
Capataces y Obreros de Establecimientos Industriales. Instituto Argentino de Seguridad, Buenos
Aires, 1944. 30 pp.
This is a Spanish translation, with some adaptations,
of a pamphlet issued by the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Company dealing with matters such as bleeding, electric
shock, suffocation, poisoning, bites, fire, artificial respiration, cuts, fractures and foreign bodies in the eye.
Safeguarding t h e W o m a n Employee.
Metropolitan
Life Insurance Company, New York. 1944. 38 pp.
A useful pamphlet t h a t makes numerous recommendations for the treatment, equipment, training, and supervision of women in industry, and illustrates the application
of these recommendations by examples from current
American industrial practice.
Manual for Instructors of Advanced Courses in
Industrial Accident Prevention. Published by the
Center for Safety Education, Division of General Education, New York University, 1942. 74 pp.
This mimeographed manual contains a series of twelve
model lectures covering various aspects of industrial
safety, including, inter alia, the following topics: Collection, Analysis and Use of Accident Facts; Engineering
Controls; Special Hazards; Organising for Accident Prevention; Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Disease;
and The Safety Engineer on the Job. A list of references
relating to the specific subject dealt with, is appended
to each lecture.
In addition, the manual introduces questions for discussion, types of demonstrations and visual aids, and check
tests. I t also offers a solution to some of the common
practical engineering problems, discusses the job analysis
of the safety engineer, his method of attacking problems,
and his relations with the staff and other persons in industry.
Industrial M e n t a l H e a l t h Manual. Michigan Industrial Mental Health Council and Michigan State
Board of Control for Vocational Education. 1944. 18 pp!
Although not specially compiled for accident prevention
purposes, this manual will be read with interest by all
interested in the psychological aspects of prevention. It
provides a clear and concise analysis of the main groups
of the abnormal, their symptoms, and remedial measures.
Applied Safety Engineering. By H. H. BERMAN and
H. W. M C C R O N E . McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.,
New York and London, 1943. xviii + 189 pp.
The aim of this book is to give practical guidance to
safety engineers and so enable them to make the best use
of their theoretical training. This aim the authors have
pursued by confining the text largely to a discussion of
typical cases that the engineers are likely to encounter in
their everyday work.
The first chapters discuss the significance of safety
engineering and the qualifications and duties of safety
engineers. Then the authors lay down some general rules
for handling specific problems; these rules reduced to their
simplest expression are—get facts, get action, and get
interest.
Next the engineer is shown how to make investigations;
how to report on typical cases such as accidents with
ladders, cranes, and scaffolds, eye accidents, accidents due
to poor housekeeping and transport accidents; how to
write safety rules and regulations covering such cases;
and how to write propaganda, give safety talks, and hold
safety conferences based on them. The last chapter suggests how safety inspections should be made.
An appendix contains a useful list of source material for
safety rules and regulations applicable to the cases discussed, and another describes 25 simple accident cases.
There is a handy index.
The authors are to be congratulated on a well conceived,
clearly written and instructive piece of work.
D e v e l o p m e n t of a Safety Program. State Industrial
Commission of Oregon, 1944. 21 pp.
A concise practical pamphlet on the structure and functions of a works safety organisation.
J o i n t Safety C o m m i t t e e s at Work: A Report of
U n i o n Participation. U.S. Department of Labor,
Division of Labor Standards. Bulletin No. 61, 1943.
16 pp.
Describes how trade unions are participating in works
safety committees and suggests how committees should be
constituted and function.
ERRATA
In Vol. X X , No. 1 of the Industrial
Safety Survey, the following corrections should be made:
1. The reference under the safety poster reproduced on the front page of the cover should be altered to read:
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, London.
2. On page 30, second column, line 30 from the top, the word Ohio should be altered to read
Illinois.
80
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY
SURVEY
NEW POSTERS
Make first aid
your first thought
after any injury
(Aitna Life Insurance Co. and affiliated Companies, Hartford, Conn.)
(JEtna Life Insurance Co. and affiliated Companies, Hartford, Conn.)
z\
usa
« ,
frpftïjïf S t r a f e n !
< •
This shows some dangerous parts.
Scutchers are dangerous.
W a i t until they are stopped before you clean.
Belts and wheels can cause serious injuries.
(The Millowners' Mutual Insurance Association, Ltd.,
Bombay.)
DNBUSÎIIIDÂI
SAFEÏÏY
L
VOUJME XX, No. 3
JULY-SEPTEMBER 1944
(lamed by the Ministry of Labour and National Service and
produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Accidents, London)
CONTENTS
Page
Accident Prevention a t Airports—Ramps a n d Aprons.
ican Airlines, Inc., New York
By Walter T. JOHNSON, Director of Safety, Amer81
BELGIUM: National Institute of Mines. Report for 1942
93
BRAZIL: Creation of an Accident Prevention Commission
94
C A N A D A (Alberta) : Formation of the Alberta Industrial Accident Prevention Association
94
N E W ZEALAND: Victoria University College. First Annual Report of the Industrial Psychology Division, 1943 .
94
S W E D E N : The State Telegraph Administration. Safety Education Programme
SWITZERLAND: The Advisory Office for Accident Prevention in 1943
95
95
U N I T E D STATES OP AMERICA (New York) : Establishment of a Division of Industrial Safety
96
Laws a n d R e g u l a t i o n s , Safety Codes.
BRAZIL: Order No. 47 respecting Uniform Standards for t h e Classification of Industrial Accidents and Occupational Diseases
97
BRITISH DEPENDENCIES (Dominica): Factory and Machinery Rules. Dated 16 March 1944
97
CANADA (British Columbia): Regulations respecting t h e Welding of Steam-Boilers and Pressure-Vessels. Dated
2 M a y 1944
(Quebec) : Regulations for the Carrying Out of the Pressure Vessels Act. Dated 20 April 1944
(Saskatchewan) : Electrical Regulations. Dated 24 March 1944
F R A N C E (Corsica): Order dated 10 March 1944 respecting the Provisional Reorganisation of Industrial Medical
Services in Corsica
G R E A T B R I T A I N : Factories (Testing of Aircraft Engines, Carburettors and Other Accessories) Order, 1944. D a t e d
25 April 1944
The Patent Fuel Manufacture (Health and Welfare) Order, 1944. Dated 27 April 1944
Agreement respecting the Safety and Welfare of Workers Engaged in the Scaling, Scurfing and Cleaning of
Boilers, and the Cleaning of Oil-Fuel Tanks, Bilges, etc. in Ships
SPAIN : National Labour Regulations for the Printing Industry. Dated 23 February 1944
S W E D E N : Act Amending the Labour Protection Act of June 1912. Dated 17 March 1944
SWITZERLAND : Order concerning Work in which it is Prohibited to Employ Women and Young Persons. Dated
11 January 1944
U N I T E D STATES OF AMERICA: Two New Toxic Fume Standards
97
97
97
98
98
98
98
99
99
99
100
Official Reports, E t c .
C A N A D A : Fatal Industrial Accidents, 1943
100
U N I T E D STATES OF AMERICA: Causes and Prevention of Injuries from Falls in Shipyards
101
Eye Injuries in Shipyards
101
Federal Inspection of Mines in 1943
102
Mine Explosions and Fires 1942-1943
103
Employment and Accidents at Gold, Silver and Miscellaneous Metal Mines in 1942
104
Accidents in Various Metal Mines, 1942
104
United States Bureau of Mines. Annual Report of Research and Technological Work on Coal. Fiscal Year
1943
105
Accidents in the Petroleum Industry, 1943
105
Motor Carrier Fire Accidents, 1942
105
Injuries and Accident Causes in the Longshore Industry, 1942
106
(New York): Industrial Fatalities 1943
106
(Wisconsin) : Compensable Injury Cases Settled in 1943
107
107
R e c e n t Books
115
N e w Posters
120
Published by t h e INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, 3480 University St., Montreal, Canada.
INDUSTRIAL
MONTREAL
SAFETY
JULY-SEPTEMBER 1944
SURVEY
VOL. XX, No. 3
ACCIDENT PREVENTION AT AIRPORTS-RAMPS AND APRONS
By Walter T.
JOHNSON,
Director of Safety, American Airlines, Inc., New York
As a result of statistical compilations and
analyses extending over many years, the reasons
for, and the causes of, accidents have been
divided into two main categories: first, mechanical; second, human. Some accidents are
due to a combination of the two. Mechanical
causes include defective machinery, equipment,
tools, improper layout and design of work area,
etc. There are many human causes, important
among them being ignorance of the proper
way of performing a given task, and performing
a task in an unsafe manner. Safety engineers
are labouring incessantly to reduce accident
risks by eliminating mechanical defects and by
educating personnel.
The air transportation industry has many
safety problems just as any other industry.
However, the industry as a whole has contributed much to both flight and ground safety.
In recent years particular emphasis has been
laid on ground safety in order to eliminate
accidents involving injury to employees and
damage to equipment on the ground. The
frequency and severity rates for the air transportation industry are much lower than would
normally be expected in view of the many
hazards inherent in its operations. The design
of future airports and the improvement of those
already established should not be undertaken
without a complete safety survey so that the
hazards present during airport operations can
be brought to light and every effort made to
eliminate them.
In discussing accident prevention at airports,
particularly on ramps and aprons, this article
will deal exclusively with the problems of ground
safety, omitting all reference to design or construction as it affects flight safety.
Modern airports differ greatly from the first
conception men had of what constituted a landing field. Years ago, because of lack of interest,
lack of financial means, and the type of equipment in operation, an ordinary field was adequate
to permit an airplane to land and take off, but
the great progress in aircraft engineering has
made it imperative nowadays for airports to be
constructed on a sound scientific basis.
The servicing of aircraft presents many problems to the safety engineer. Among these are
facilities for fuelling, auxiliary power supply to
the aircraft, cargo loading and unloading, and
air-conditioning equipment.
These problems
become more complex when this servicing is done
at airports with limited ramp and apron areas.
Other problems confronting the safety engineer are ground traffic control and lighting of
the ramp and apron area. Ground traffic control
covers mobile and automotive equipment, and
aircraft travelling in the same or opposite
directions in the same area. This presents a
particularly difficult problem during night operations when lights are used for illumination and
markings that can easily confuse operators of
both automotive equipment and airplanes as
they move about on the ramps and aprons.
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
It has been suggested from time to time that
all equipment be eliminated from the ramp and
apron, thereby leaving this space clear and
free to aircraft. With the present design of
many of the airports this is impossible. Automotive units are used to bring mail and express
cargo from the post office and terminal facilities
to the aircraft, and must, of necessity, use the
ramp and apron in order to reach the plane.
At most of the airports fuelling facilities are
provided by means of a gasoline truck which
must approach the airplane, and thus, once
again, automotive equipment is using the same
area as the aircraft. In addition to automotive
•82
equipment, there are other mobile units necessary for the operation of an airline; these include baggage carts, loading ramps, and passenger ramps.
possibly owing to accumulation of dirt within
the chargers. These battery pits present fire
hazards, particularly during fuelling operations,
owing to the existence of voltage between battery
pit grounding wire and
battery circuit. Often
these voltages are sufficient to produce sparks
between the a i r p l a n e
grounding wire and the
skin of the airplane. The
voltage existing between
the battery pit grounding lead and the battery
circuit is the result of an
electrical leakage path
created by accumulation
of dirt or moisture on
the battery terminals
and the charger wiring
to the ground. Another
hazard
presented
through the use of battery pits is that of excessive moisture conditions at the batteries.
This can easily occur
when the battery pits
Photo: American Airlines, Inc. are not properly drained,
Fig. 1.—Baggage ramp and gasoline truck obstruct area around plane
and also by the lack of
adequate protective covers to prevent rain or
At certain airports many of these facilities
other moisture from dripping on top of the
are provided by means of underground pits. In
batteries from the pit doors. Other moisture
such instances much of the equipment is removed
conditions caused by condensation, flushing,
from the ramp section at the airport, and does
steaming, etc., present similar problems.
not present any particular traffic problem.
However, there are other problems created
Battery and gasoline pit ground wires and
through the use of these pits. Most of the clips may be covered with an accumulation of
hazards here have to do with design and main- dirt that makes their effectiveness doubtful, and
tenance. With pit operation it is necessary opens the way for sparks during fuelling operathat they be properly covered so that they will tions. Some of these hazards may be minimised
hold the weight of the aircraft or personnel which by connecting the pits together with a definite
may cross them.
The weight necessary to electrical bond. Without such a bond the constrengthen the covers is great, and could cause dition is very conducive to stray potentials
serious injury to mechanics or others who would between the pits, particularly those of the
have to raise them. Adequate ventilation is electrostatic type under dry soil conditions.
necessary in order to prevent accumulation of
In view of the foregoing it can be seen that
explosive vapours in such places as gasoline while a new design may remove many objects
pits. Electrical equipment in these areas must, that have caused serious accidents on the ground
of necessity, be explosion-proof so as to preclude at airports in the past, it may also present
the possibility of igniting any vapours that certain other new problems which must be
may be present. Other pits supplying auxiliary recognised and solved before accidents can be
power to the aircraft, thereby replacing battery totally prevented. The theory has been adcarts, present hazards in that battery chargers vanced that with these services underground
may show evidence of leakage to the ground, there is less chance of accidents occurring.
ACCIDENT PREVENTION AT AIRPORTS—RAMPS AND APRONS
However, unless underground pits are designed
so as to eliminate the hazards enumerated it
can be seen that accidents of a different type
will be substituted for those eliminated by pit
operation.
The air transportation industry offers speed
when travelling from one point to another.
Occasionally the time that could be saved is
lost, and the effect of speed nullified because of
ground accidents. When an accident occurs
involving aircraft on the ground, investigation
is necessary to determine the airworthiness of
the aircraft before it may continue, thereby
holding the plane on the ground and preventing
it from operating on schedule. This has severe
repercussions, because it throws the working
schedule of station personnel out of order, and
may cause them to attempt to hasten their
steps so as to take care of contingencies that
have arisen. This often results in many individuals being injured who would not have
been in normal circumstances.
G U I D E MARKINGS
Automotive equipment will be necessary at
all airports to furnish transfer facilities for
cargo, mail, baggage, gasoline, towing, air
conditioning, etc., until such time as new facilities eliminating the use of automotive equipment are installed. Faced with the problem of
attempting to curtail accidents under this setup, those responsible can do many things to
minimise the hazards involved. First is the
establishment of a definite traffic control system,
whereby various types of traffic will use designated areas. This would necessitate marking
the apron in the way main arterial highways
are marked to provide lanes for both fast and
slow moving aircraft, one in each direction,
and two lanes for the exclusive use of automotive
equipment. The aircraft lanes should be so
marked that the field of vision from the cockpit
will be sufficient to guide the operator to a
designated place where personnel would then
take over and guide him to his correct position
at the loading gate. Personnel, in directing the
aircraft from its particular lane, would first
ascertain the movements of the automotive
equipment in the immediate vicinity, and when
the road is clear, signal the aircraft to proceed
to its position. These lanes should also be
marked in' such a way that there would be
83
adequate clearance between planes travelling
in opposite directions.
The automotive operator could be guided in
a similar manner, and automotive lanes also
marked so that adequate clearance could be
given to aircraft. Additional markings around
the positioned aircraft would be of great benefit
to the operators of automotive equipment in
that they could position their trucks properly
with a certain degree of safety. However, in
backing operations, particularly when backing
towards an airplane, the automotive operator
should always be guided by someone other than
himself. The ground markings around the aircraft, when it is properly positioned, would
materially assist the automotive operators and
other personnel in the area by showing designated space for a particular type of unit.
AUTOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE
At this point it would be well to emphasise
the amount of care and maintenance that is
necessary for the automotive equipment to
ensure safe operations at all times. Windshield
wipers should be in perfect working order, headlights and taillights operating properly, engines
functioning normally, horns or other signalling
devices in good condition; vehicles should be
equipped with rear view mirrors, and there
should be backing-up, signalling, or warning
devices on all vehicles. In addition a floodlight type lamp installed at the rear of the
vehicle, controlled by the driver when he is
backing, particularly near aircraft at night,
would be beneficial. This would afford the truck
operator and the personnel in the immediate
area good illumination so that the proper clearance would be observed at all times, and the
automotive unit properly positioned in regard
to the aircraft without damage to any of the
equipment. The rear flood light is a great asset,
particularly in night operations where the airport
lighting is inadequate or insufficient to provide
proper illumination at all times on the apron.
What appear to be very small items are the
coverings on the clutch and brake pedals.
Mostly they are overlooked as being too insignificant to bother with; however, many aircraft have been damaged and many persons
injured because the proper coverings were not
provided on these pedals, thus permitting the
operator's foot to slip off. Many of the vehicles
originally have corrugated metal pedals, which
84
through constant use are gradually worn down so
that they present a very smooth, even slippery,
surface. Rubber or composition pads grooved
to give better grip to the operator's foot would
greatly increase the safety factor in truck
operations. In addition, particular emphasis
vided with the necessary chains or other gripping
devices to ensure good traction on snow or ice.
Interior windshield defrosting units should also
be provided so that at no time is the operator's
vision impaired through the accumulation of
ice or snow on the windshield.
Fig. 2.—Planes on ramp at night
should be placed on the correct angle of both
the brake and clutch pedals. It has been noted
in some types of vehicles that when the operator
is in his normal position behind the wheel his
foot can easily slip off either the brake or the
clutch pedal because of incorrect angle of the
face of the pedals. Pedals should be so adjusted
that both the ball and the toes of the foot make
good solid contact with the pedal facing,
thereby lessening the possibility of the foot
slipping from the pedals.
Exhaust manifolds, mufflers, and tail pieces
should be checked frequently, particularly during
cold weather operations when windows and
windshields are normally closed, to ensure that
there are no leaks in the exhaust system. Seepage of even a small amount of carbon monoxide
from the exhaust into the, cabin of the vehicle
is sufficient to slow the reflex action of the
operator, thereby precluding absolutely safe
operation.
In cold weather, the vehicle should be pro-
Photo: American Airlines,
Inc.
When the automotive units have been checked
with due attention to the items mentioned above,
and found to be in good condition, the mechanical sources of trouble will be at a minimum.
TRAFFIC CONTROL
There are some who advocate that the control
tower be given the job of directing traffic on
the ground as well as the flying traffic in the
air. There are many pros and cons to this argument, but it appears that at a normally busy
airport the control tower is sufficiently occupied
at all times with handling flight traffic alone.
If the control tower were given jurisdiction over
the ground traffic, a large expenditure would
be required in order to provide all the automotive units on the ground with the necessary
communication equipment so that the tower
could contact these vehicles. However, there
may be some advantage in the control tower
regulating traffic on the ground, and this might
even become a necessity in the near future with
the great increase expected in air transportation. It may prove profitable to install a second
control tower lower than the flight control
tower, but yet high enough to provide visibility
over the entire ramp and apron section so that
the control tower observers could direct the
flow of ground traffic. This is definitely a possibility, and every consideration should be given
to the installation of such a secondary control
tower.
At this point it becomes necessary to deal
with the human factor, which, no doubt, will
give considerably more trouble than the mechanical factor. In order to ensure safe operation at all airports, the airport management
should adopt stringent regulations and control
measures. In addition, the authorities should
set up a licensing body at each airport in order
to achieve uniform standards for all who may
operate automotive equipment at any particular
airport. Individual lines may set up their own
regulations, their own licensing system, and
their own training programme, but if they do not
have the co-operation of other lines operating
from that particular field, most of their efforts
will be nullified and wasted. This, however,
may be avoided if the airport officials act as
the licensing body, properly and thoroughly
testing every applicant who has cause to operate
automotive equipment around the airport.
D R I V E R TESTS
Control should be exercised over all personnel
who drive automotive equipment. A survey has
revealed that there are many people driving
automotive equipment on the ramps and aprons,
whose vision needs correction, whose depth perception is very poor, and whose glare recovery
is very slow. In order to weed out personnel
of this kind, it becomes necessary to adopt
some method of testing them for physical,
mental, and skill requirements. These tests will
not only eliminate those who are physically or
mentally incapable of safe operation, but will also
have an added psychological effect because they
will reveal the great importance placed upon
safe operation of automotive equipment by the
authorities and, more particularly, will indicate
the care and exactitude exercised in selecting
and training the various individuals.
The requirements described below have been
enforced in the past at some airports, and
85
found very effective. At airports where the
requirements were adhered to, and the operators
had to pass certain skill and physical tests before
securing a license, the accident frequency has
been decreased tremendously in even a comparatively short time. The physical and mental
requirements of personnel operating ground
equipment at airports are important, and should
not be overlooked. I t will be noted that these
requirements are broken down into three categories: mental requirements, physical requirements, and skill requirements. Under mental
requirements, it is suggested that the applicants
have the ability to remember the essential regulations that may be set up to ensure safety as
regards the operation of motorised equipment,
not only at airports, but also in the general
area in which they operate. All applicants
should have:
1. A definite knowledge of traffic rules and
regulations as they pertain to .the particular
area concerned.
2. A definite comprehension of the values of
aircraft and cost of replacement when damaged.
3. A moral sense of responsibility.
These mental requirements can be very quickly
and easily checked by any competent person
versed in the procedure.
The following physical requirements have
been prepared for personnel in an effort to
curtail the accidents occurring at airports
through the operation of automotive equipment :
A. Visual acuity: 20/40 in each eye, uncorrected or corrected. Congenital abnormalities
not correctable shall disqualify. Muscle balance
—no requirements, except that extreme incoordination or congenital abnormal movements
of the eyes shall disqualify.
B. Colour vision: must be perfect for red and
green, yellow follows. Standard methods:
Ishihara—American Optical Company.
Holmgren's yarns—If colour vision is 50 per
cent, defective by Ishihara or American Optical
Company's charts, applicants must pass Holmgren's perfectly.
Colour-dumb people must
be segregated, and not classed as colour-blind.
Depth perception: A good stereognostic sense
must be present. Most suitable test is depth
perception with the Howard-Dolman apparatus.
An average error of over 30 mm in 5 trials
should disqualify.
86
C. Hearing: It is recommended that the whispered voice test be abandoned. Tuning fork test
is much more accurate. Best test is audiometer,
and should be given to all subjects showing
abnormalities in tuning fork test. Hearing loss
of 50 per cent, or more in frequencies from 128
to 2,048 by audiometer in either ear should
disqualify.
D. Upper extremities: Loss of thumbs, ankylosis of elbow at a position greater than 90°
shall disqualify. Artificial arms shall disqualify.
E. Lower extremities: Artificial extremities,
if giving ankle movements, may be passed providing a driving test is passed satisfactorily.
Progressive diseases of joints and tumors of
long bones shall disqualify.
F. General physical condition:
Decompensated heart disease, stomach ulcer, or hernia
unsupported by a truss shall disqualify. Any
acute or chronic infectious disease except syphilis
under treatment shall disqualify. Epilepsy or a
history of it in the family shall be absolutely
disqualifying.
One can cite physical and mental requirements galore; however, the practical goal of
all testing is to approach as near as possible
to the actual conditions of the job requirements.
The acid test for operators of mechanical equipment is to watch them operate it, or to teach
them and watch their reactions. Muscle coordination and reaction time are vital tests for
these people, and can be accurately estimated
only in a driving test.
It should be noted at this point that if permission is granted to operate equipment at the airport, the type of equipment should be specified.
For instance, if a man can properly and skilfully
operate a half-ton panel truck, that does not
necessarily qualify him to operate a big gasoline tractor-trailer unit.
The following are samples of skill requirements
that applicants could be subjected to in order that
they might prove their ability to operate equipment.
The applicant should be able to start the
vehicle without jumping on level ground, also
be able to start the vehicle parked on an incline
without rolling backwards.
The applicant
should be able to park parallel within six
inches of any given object without hitting
the object. Efficiency in backing up should be
observed and recorded. The applicant should
be able to make U-turns within a fairly small
area. The applicant should be subjected to a test
through traffic in order to determine his reaction
to other vehicles, both moving and stationary,
and lastly he should be able to manoeuvre a
vehicle through an obstacle course containing
S-turns, 90° left and right turns, and U-turns
without hitting any of the obstacles.
Subjecting automotive operators at airports
to tests similar to those outlined will greatly
increase the safety record of any given airport,
if the tests are used in
:-rpi conjunction with a good
system of traffic control.
MOBILE EQUIPMENT
Photo: American Airlines, Inc.
Fig. 3.—Ground service equipment around airplane
Automotive units are
not the only mobile
equipment in use at various airports. Baggage
carts, loading ramps,
passenger stairways and
ramps, battery carts,
and many other mobile
items must of necessity
be present. Some of these
have caused damage to
flying equipment in the
past because they rolled
unattended towards the
aircraft, or were pushed
into portions of the aircraft, causing damage.
There are many reasons
why these units moved—some because of vibration, others because of wind, others because of
propeller wash, etc.
In order to eliminate
trouble from these sources, the carts, ramps,
and stands can be very easily equipped with a
positive type "dead-man" brake. This brake is
always set and prevents the vehicle from being
moved except when it is held open by the operator. This system precludes the possibility of
anyone forgetting to set the brakes as they
automatically set themselves when the operator
removes his hand from the lever.
It is suggested that as a general rule no automotive equipment of any kind be driven at any
time under any part of any airplane parked or moving on the ramps. Compliance with such a rule
would prevent a certain amount of damage to
wings, elevators, stabilisers, ailerons, or other
parts of airplanes. It is suggested also that no
backing up be permitted except when someone
is available to guide the driver. This point is
quite important because a great deal of backing
is necessary to get into position, not only at the
airplane, but also at the post office, terminal
building, and other places. Next, no mobile
ground equipment of any nature should be
permitted to be moved or stationed under any
part of the airplane itself. This again will reduce
the possibility of damage to the aircraft. There
is, however, one exception to this rule, and
that is when airplanes
are at fields where they
are not serviced by battery pits and must use
the battery carts. Even
this one exception can
be dispensed with by the
relocation of the connection for the battery-cart
cannon plug on the airplane itself.
87
tobe done, and of the great responsibility involved
in working around aircraft. To many people
working around an airport the plane has no more
value than the auxiliary equipment needed to
service it. The following are some of the circumstances given as contributory causes of accidents :
1. Inadequate directions concerning the work.
2. Lack of comprehension of aircraft value
and cost of repair or replacement when damaged.
3. Lack of specific supervision—poor example
set by supervisors.
4. Congestion of work areas.
It will be seen from this that many of the
main causes of accidents at airports can be
traced directly to the human factor; in point
of fact the study indicated that usually the
equipment was in good mechanical condition,
and, therefore, not a contributory cause.
RAMP LIGHTING
There was another important contributory
cause of many of the accidents that have occurred in the past, and that was inadequate
lighting for airport operations at night. The
present lighting at many of the airports leaves
much to be desired from a safety standpoint
CONTRIBUTORY CAUSES
OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
A recent study of traffic accidents at airports
for a one-year period
clearly indicated that
there were many causes
contributing to the accidents. Indicated also,
was a definite lack of
understanding of the job
Fig. 4-—Spotty, glaring lights cast shadows
88
and also from the standpoint of operating ground
equipment. It is true that many airports have
adequate markings and landing lights but it
is also true of the same airports that the lighting
facilities at the ramps are extremely poor. For
instance, if an airplane pulls up to the loading
gate, the lights are usually located on the ramp
side, and give a fair amount of illumination here;
however, the airplane casts shadows on the far
side making it quite hazardous for anyone to
work there. These shadows cause automotive
operators to misjudge their distances, and cause
mechanics and other employees to miss their
step on the loading ramps, and to trip over
objects on the ground, such as baggage, cargo
being loaded and unloaded, etc. Most of the
lights are very glaring and hence contribute
considerably to the accidents. What is needed
is good overhead lighting that will give adequate
illumination in all areas around the airplane at
night.
Poor illumination is often the cause of fatigue
among workers, since it makes them work
extremely hard to do even simple jobs. As a
result they lose some of their alertness and
become more prone to accidents.
PROPELLERS
Propellers should always be treated with the
utmost respect whether they are revolving or
stationary. In some places stanchions, connected by chains, have been provided to isolate
the area immediately around the propeller. This
has its advantages, but it could be extremely
hazardous if the stanchions were not properly
placed and the chains were allowed to come
into contact with the revolving propeller, thereby throwing links and pieces of metal at terrific
velocity about the area. A good rule to observe
when working around the airplane is to keep
clear of the propeller, whether it is revolving or
stationary. Sometimes the propeller will inadvertently kick over and anyone within the arc of
the blades may be severely injured. Even slight
pressure on a blade may cause the engine to
kick over and cause injury. When necessary to
turn propellers over before starting the engine,
the hands and arms only should be used, with
the person staying out of the arc. Many people
have been killed when the propeller has been
a little hard to turn; in order to exert additional
pressure they have used their shoulders to push,
and the engine kicking over has caused the
propeller to strike them. Additional help should
be secured when the propeller is hard to turn.
HOUSEKEEPING
In order to achieve the greatest possible
reduction of accidents, with their consequent
injury to personnel and damage to equipment,
it is necessary in loading areas to have a place
for everything, and have everything in its place.
Each piece of equipment should have a designated place with ground markings showing the
extent and type of equipment to be stored
therein. This will preclude the possibility of
anyone having to exercise judgment in positioning the aircraft in relation to the ground equipment, and also in driving or guiding ground
equipment about. These locations should be
selected with a view to utility, getting the equipment into use in the shortest possible period
of time and using the shortest route without
interfering with other equipment or personnel
in the area. Storage space should also be provided for wheel chocks, control surface blocks
and ballast. These items are frequently in use,
and if there is a place designated for them when
not in use, and the personnel is familiar with
the storage spaces, they can be quickly found
at any time in order to assist in making an airplane secure. If boxes are used for this purpose,
the covers should not be of the type that opens
upward. The records indicate quite a few injuries caused by a blast from a propeller or wind
striking the covers and forcing them down on
employees reaching into the boxes.
The ramp and apron area should be maintained in good condition at all times. Regular
inspections will reveal holes that can be repaired
and expansion joints that can be recaulked.
As in many other cases regular maintenance is
not only safer but much less expensive than
permitting pavement to disintegrate or be worn
extensively before repairs are made. Particular
attention should be paid to the area where
passengers and employees must necessarily
work and walk, in order to ascertain that it is
properly drained at all times. If the area is not
drained, water can accumulate, thereby creating
a hazard, particularly in cold weather when
water may freeze.
All ramps and apron areas should be frequently cleaned in order to remove dirt, dust, bolts,
nuts, tools, stones, and other things that might
accumulate there. This housekeeping point is of
89
tremendous importance as many accidents may
be caused by these objects being thrown about
by a revolving propeller, or by vehicles and airplanes using the area. At one airport this item
was brought to the attention of the officials,
and they started a campaign to clean the area.
The first day's result was almost a bushelbasketful of stones, bolts, nuts, tools, pieces of
metal and other items that had collected over
a period of time. Such clean-up jobs will not
only tend to prevent accidents, but will also
have a definite psychological effect on the employees in the area. When a place is neat, clean
and tidy, there is an incentive to keep it in that
condition. This makes for higher morale among
personnel, If a place is dirty, ill-kept, and in
generally poor condition, the tendency on the
part of the people in the area is to be slovenly
in their own work, thereby laying themselves
open to injury.
Attempting to minimise the amount of dust
created at an airport is important, and not too
difficult.
Proper cleaning methods for the
ramps, aprons, and runways, and proper maintenance and care of the ground between these
areas, with grass and other vegetation, will
help greatly in controlling the dust hazard.
E Y E PROTECTION
FUELLING OPERATIONS
There are many potential hazards involved
in fuelling airplanes, particularly when they
are at the loading ramp. In handling any volatile
or flammable fluid, extreme care and caution
will minimise the dangers involved. At airports
where pit installations do not furnish services,
it is necessary to use gasoline trucks, which must
be driven in close proximity to the aircraft in
order to refuel them. This calls for expert driving on the part of the operator in order not to
damage any parts of the aircraft; yet he must
get in close enough to the plane for the fuel hose
to reach the tanks. On many types of aircraft it
is necessary for the operator to climb a ladder
to reach the tank filler cap. These ladders if
properly secured will offer very little hazard.
Servicemen should be well versed in the procedure involved, e.g., laying out the hose line,
and also in the proper method of getting the
nozzle to the tank filler cap. Another hazard
incidental to the filling of the tanks is the overflow, which may run down on to the ground.
Any spillage should be immediately cleaned up
with mops or cloths which should then be disposed of in safe metal containers. The use of
carbon tetrachloride or other material to neutralise spilled gasoline is usually very ineffective,
and gives a false sense of security to anyone
engaging in these practices. Carbon tetrachloride
evaporates more rapidly than gasoline and therefore the attempt to neutralise gasoline succeeds
It has been found quite effective in many
places to have persons wear some form of eye
protection when working on the ramps and
aprons. Despite all the care and precautions that
are taken, there is still a , certain amount of dust,
and small particles that
aremovedaboutbywind, :
airplanes, etc., and eye
!
protection for employees
in this area has been
of material benefit. Goggles, face shields or other
such protection keep eye
injuries and irritations
at a minimum. Running up engines should
not be permitted near
loading areas. When engines are to be run up,
the plane should be
taken to a position where
the propeller wash will
Fhoto: The White Motor
not inconvenience anyone.
Fig. 5.—Air conditioning and fuelling a plane
Company, Cleveland.
90
only momentarily. In order to prove this point
it is only necessary to spill a small quantity of
gasoline, ignite it, and then extinguish it with
carbon tetrachloride. Within a few moments
the gasoline can be reignited notwithstanding
the use of the carbon tetrachloride.
The fuelling operation presents another hazard
when auxiliary energisers or generators are
used. This is particularly true when the generator motors are running. Gasoline overflowing
from tanks may drop down on the sparking
carbon brushes if they are not properly protected, or may drop on to a hot muffler on the
energiser. This hazard can be overcome by
using a water-cooled muffler, or if that is not
possible, by so protecting the muffler that the
flammable fluid will not drip directly on to it,
and also by so protecting the armature and
brushes that no fluid can drop directly on them.
In certain conditions it is quite possible to
cause an explosion or fire when an airplane is
being fuelled. Normal practices prohibit smoking by either passengers or employees near airplanes when they are on the ground. This
regulation should not be relaxed, particularly
when the airplane is being fuelled. Static electricity causes much concern on the ramp, especially during fuelling operations. In order
to minimise this hazard it is necessary to have
an electric bond between the gasoline truck and
the airplane and the ground. In addition to
these precautions, having electrically grounded
gasoline hoses will aid materially in reducing
the risk of fire from static electricity.
F I R E PROTECTION
Ramp and apron areas should be adequately
protected at all times with the proper types of
fire extinguishing equipment.
This first-aid
equipment does not replace or act as a substitute
for a crash fire truck, but rather is complementary to it. First-aid fire-fighting equipment
has been instrumental in quickly extinguishing
small fires that have occurred in the past. Inspection and maintenance of first-aid fire-fighting equipment pays good dividends and should
not be overlooked. Not only should proper
types of extinguishing equipment be available
but the employees should be versed in the
correct use of each type. Water or soda-acid
extinguishers should not be placed in the ramp
and apron area, as most of the fires will probably
be gasoline, oil or electrical fires. Any of the
extinguishing media used for class B and C
fires can also be used on any class A fires that
may develop. Particular care should be taken
that no fire-fighting equipment freezes during
cold weather, and thus be inoperative if needed
during this period. Carbon dioxide and carbon
tetrachloride are usually the most convenient
types of extinguishers to be used in this area.
However, there should be an adequate supply
of dry powder or foam extinguisher available,
and care must be exercised in the storing of
liquid foam during cold weather. The problem
of fighting extensive fires such as those resulting
from crash landings is not covered in this article
and the equipment mentioned is only for small
incipient fires that may occur while a plane is
on the ramp.
COLD-WEATHER OPERATIONS
Cold weather presents many additional problems affecting personnel and equipment, and
the records indicate that accidents on the ramps
and aprons during these periods increase. This
is attributable to snow, ice, sleet, and types of
clothing worn for protection against the cold.
Snow and ice are particularly hazardous and
should be removed as quickly as possible from
the working areas on the ramps and aprons.
This will prevent employees from slipping and
falling, possibly preventing serious injury. Snow
and ice also accumulate on the auxiliary equipment such as ramps, carts, etc., and make the
climbing of stairways and ladders more difficult
and more hazardous. This, in conjunction with.
the gloves usually worn by employees at this
time, makes working on or about equipment
quite dangerous. Proper care and discretion
should be exercised during these times. If it is
not possible to remove snow or ice the hazard
may be reduced somewhat by the use of sand or
cinders. Chemicals and salts should be used
sparingly, because these solutions may splash
on parts of the aircraft, causing corrosion.
Frequently it is possible to keep auxiliary equipment such as passenger ramps and loading
ramps covered so that ice and snow do not
settle on them and they will be in good condition for use when needed. Many ramps are
not self-propelled and it is necessary to move
them about manually. If snow is on the ground,
extra effort is needed to push or pull the equipment about and to manoeuvre it into position.
This may result in strains to personnel.
91
During winter operations it has been found to wear nets and other things on their shoes so
necessary to use engine heaters, which are that snow and ice will not accumulate on them.
usually gasoline-operated and present several Netting also gives them fairly good foothold
hazards that are not
found in normal operations. The hazards include carbon monoxide
fumes from the exhaust,
fire, and burns to personnel. Proper design
of these heaters will
eliminate many of the
difficulties that have been
encountered in the past.
If the heater exhaust
stack is carried sufficiently high, the fumes
will be discharged over
the heads of personnel
in the area. If flame
arresters, spark plug
shields, mufflers, carburettors, gasoline lines and
gasoline tanks are properly designed and positioned, very little difficulty should be encountPhoto: American Airlines, Inc.
ered in the use of portFig. 6.—Operating with snow on ramp increases hazards
able heaters. When tents
or other covers are used in order to enclose the particularly on the ice, thereby preventing
particular area where these heaters may be in many falls that normally would be expected
operation, personnel should be warned of the under these conditions. Particular attention
possibility of the presence of carbon monoxide, should be paid to foot covering of automotive
and should be assured of an adequate fresh air operators in snowy and icy conditions so as
to give them an adequate grip at all times on
supply or ventilation.
Employees working on the ramp or apron area brake, clutch and accelerator pedals.
in cold weather should be instructed in the
proper use of wearing apparel so that they will
H O T - W E A T H E R PRECAUTIONS
not suffer any ill effect from the cold weather,
On the other hand many operations have of
and will not have any parts of their body frostnecessity
to be performed in very hot and humid
bitten. The head, arms, face, hands, and feet
climates.
There are certain safeguards that
should be adequately and properly protected
may
be
taken
in order to minimise the hazards
with the necessary clothing and equipment in
of
prostration,
sunstroke and others that are
order to preclude the possibility of frostbite,
encountered
in
these areas. Having adequate
but this clothing and equipment should be of
drinking
facilities
available with access to
such nature as not to restrict the movements of
quantities
of
salt
or
salt tablets will go a long
the body or retard the circulation of the blood.
way
towards
eliminating
the discomfort caused
Being bundled up very tightly may keep emby
hot
weather.
Many
people
during hot weather
ployees warm, but it may also keep them from
become
quite
listless
and
are
not as alert as
performing their duties properly and safely
they
would
be
normally,
thereby
becoming
when outside. Wet clothing should be removed
more
prone
to
accidents.
Head
protection
as soon as practicable, particularly during cold
weather operations, and dry clothing substituted. should be afforded to employees who have to
Many employees have found it quite convenient work under direct rays of the sun. Warnings
92
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY SUB VE Y
should be given about acquiring too much sunburn too quickly. This process should be gradually increased daily until the employees suffer
no ill effects when working in the sun at their
normal duties.
JOB ANALYSIS
In order to make operations free from accidents and injury, and in order to meet schedules,
each employee should have certain specific
duties assigned to him. This will greatly simplify
job analysis to determine the safest and most
effective way of performing a given task. Individual job analysis will readily bring to light
the potential hazards so that the necessary
modifications can be made to eliminate them.
I t will also indicate qualifications required for
the safe performance of any given job, such as
physical fitness, special skills, mental abilities,
and will bring to light any unsafe motions,
positions, and actions of employees.
When a survey is made, and these items established, it is then possible to determine the safest
way to handle a particular job and to avoid any
pitfalls that may be peculiar thereto. Since
each employee is assigned a specific task, he
can be held strictly accountable for thecorrect and
proper performance of his duties, and the matter
of enforcing this responsibility rests with intelligent and constructive supervision. To give an
example of the duties that one employee may
perform on a landing or departure: a mechanic
may be assigned to see that the battery cart is
connected, the landing gear lock pin is in place,
the control surfaces locked, and the landing gear
wheels chocked; on departure, his duties might
include the. reverse of these operations, and
giving the final clearance to the agent who would
in turn signal the pilot that all was clear. This
fixing of definite responsibility for operations
is a great help in making sure that nothing is
overlooked. Instances have been known when
a plane started to roll with the battery cart
connected, or with the control surfaces locked,
and the result has been property damage, and
personal injuries.
A regular schedule of housekeeping and
safety inspections will do much to keep any
industrial operation from lagging behind in
these matters. Unsafe conditions are quickly
discovered and corrective measures can be
applied promptly.
Necessary repairs, maintenance and painting will
be evident, and at no
time will there be any
need for any matter
getting out of hand.
These inspections could
follow a definite schedule and reports on them
should be reviewed «by
responsible supervisory
officials, who can follow
up and see that the
corrective measures indicated are taken. Often '
a small matter that is
neglected will in time
become quite serious.
Regular inspections will
prevent the possibility
of this occurring.
New or inexperienced
personnel should not be
permitted to work in
the ramp area. There is
a strong temptation for
these people to gape
Fig. 7.—The "horse-anchor" is attached to the rudder block which an American Airlines' passenger agent is placing on the tail of a flagship.
Rudder
around at the other acblocks prevent vagrant wind gusts from moving the tail around while the flagtivities. It is interesting
ship is at the loading ramp
to watch the operations on the ramps, particularly when several airplanes are present, and
new personnel, in so doing, lay themselves open
to accidents.
A training or indoctrination period usually
familiarises the new personnel sufficiently so
that they have a fairly clear conception of what
is going on. There are two points to keep in
mind during a programme of this nature: (l)
—train the employee so that he becomes thoroughly familiar with the work he is to do; make
sure that he actually knows how to perform
properly, and therefore safely, a given task,
and that he is cognisant of any hazards that
may arise while he is working; (2)—give the
employee an opportunity to view all the opera-
93
tions at a given airport so that his natural
curiosity will be satisfied. This will keep many
persons from wandering about and getting
themselves in places where there may be hazards
unknown to them.
I t has been said that "knowledge prevents
accidents". This slogan applied in many areas
appears to have paid high dividends. Accident
frequency and severity rates are being constantly
reduced because of programmes of education that
are applied for the benefit of employees. Training
and education have played a great part in reducing accidents. With the continuance of these
programmes, and with due attention to mechanical safeguards, accidents, with their attendant
misery and pain, will be held to a minimum.
BELGIUM
NATIONAL
INSTITUTE
OF
MINES
Report for 19421
The activities of the Institute in 1942 were
again restricted by the circumstances of the
times but there was some revival of safety propaganda. Research in connection with explosives, lamps and flameproof electrical equipment was reduced to the essential minimum.
In the experimental gallery shots were fired
for testing samples of explosives, for educational
purposes, and in the course of accident investigations.
Electric detonators, which rarely gave trouble
in peacetime, have been found by tests to be
increasingly defective. Some, with a rated
resistance of 2.3 ohms, were found to have
resistances of 330 and 1000 ohms and even
more.
Accordingly, it has been considered
necessary so long as war conditions continue,
to make arrangements for testing detonators
employed underground, and in particular to
test the electrical resistance.
1
Annales des Mines de Belgique, 1943, Vol. XLIV; for 1941, see
Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 1, Jan.-Mar. 1943, p. 6.
A number of new shotfiring machines, hand
lamps and firedamp detectors are described with
illustrations. Extensive research, also described
with illustrations, into the cause of an explosion
in an electric hand lamp led to the conclusion
that the lamp had been placed on a stove. The
lamp had a celluloid battery and it was calculated that the combustion of the celluloid could
have generated a pressure of 51 kg/cm 2 in the
lamp.
A new flameproof starter not immersed in
oil was tested and the highest temperature, as
recorded on the casing, was found not to exceed
170°C, well below the ignition temperature of
firedamp mixtures.
In the scientific research laboratory, work was
done in connection with the determination of
carbon monoxide by silver oxide, and the photosensitised oxidation of methane with special
reference to the action of ultra-violet rays.
In connection with the question of ignition of
firedamp by metal filaments, the report presents
substantial papers on "The Ignition of Firedamp Mixtures by Contact with an Outside
Source" and "Research into the Ignition of
Firedamp by the Filaments of Portable Electric
Lamps".
94
BRAZIL
CREATION OF AN ACCIDENT
PREVENTION
COMMISSION 1
In view of the considerable number of industrial accidents occurring in Brazil (66,000
reported accidents in 1943) the Minister of
Labour has appointed an Accident Prevention
Commission directly responsible to his Cabinet
and composed of the Director of the Department of Labour, the President' of the Brazilian
Reinsurance Institute, the Director of the Division of Industrial Hygiene and Safety, a representative of the National Confederation of
Industries and a representative of the Federation of Insurance Companies.
The aims of the Commission are:
(1) To promote the development of safe
working methods by furthering and guiding the
adoption of measures, techniques and installations that will result in a maximum both of
production and safety.
(2) To compile statistics of accidents and
accident causes.
(3) To organise courses in accident prevention techniques.
(4) To make known, by every means at its
disposal, e.g., newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets,
films, bulletins, circulars and posters, the dangers
to which workers are exposed and methods of
eliminating them.
(5) To organise congresses, the object of
which will be the creation and improvement of
safe working habits.
(6) To institute and administer a system of
prizes for workers, managers and supervisors
who have contributed to the development of
safety measures.
(7) To finance trips and enable workers and
supervisors to visit the most important industrial centres, the object being to instruct these
men in accident prevention problems.
CANADA
Alberta
FORMATION
OF THE ALBERTA
INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENT PREVENTION ASSOCIATION 2
AS the result of a resolution passed on 20
March 1944 at the Annual Meeting of the
Edmonton Branch of the Canadian Manufac1
Communication to the I.L.O.
' Industrial Canada, June 1944, p. 100.
turers' Association, a Committee was formed to
bring into being an Accident Prevention Association in the Province of Alberta.
At a meeting of this Committee held on 26
April 1944, a resolution was passed unanimously
providing that, in view of the increasing seriousness of industrial accidents in the Province of
Alberta, a provincial organisation, to be called
the Alberta Industrial Accident Prevention
Association, should be formed on lines similar
to associations which are operating in other
parts of Canada, and in the United States. A
slate of officers and an executive committee
were selected by the Committee to act for the
Association during the coming year.
The International Labour Office extends a
most hearty welcome to this new safety association, together with its best wishes for the
full success of its work for greater safety in
industry.
NEW ZEALAND
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
First Annual Report of the Industrial Psychology
Division, 19 Iß
As a result of investigations showing the great
need of the work of industrial psychologists in
New Zealand industry, an Industrial Psychology
Division was established towards the end of
1942 as part of the Department of Scientific
and Industrial Research of Victoria University
College, Wellington.
The aims of the Division are:
(1) To collect information about any matters
which affect the well-being and efficiency of the
human being in industry;
(2) To spread information about work done
by industrial psychologists;
(3) To assist in solving specific problems submitted by individual organisations.
During the first year of its existence, the
Division carried out investigations on absenteeism, on the ventilation and heating of factory
buildings, and on the reduction of fatigue and
monotony; in addition, it undertook specific
investigations and 'other services for 18 manufacturing concerns. It also began to issue a
brief quarterly bulletin on matters of industrial
psychology, and arranged for a course of lectures
and numerous addresses, to be given on the
subject. Other work accomplished by the Division included co-operation with the Government
vocational guidance centres and work for the
armed services.
The general observations made in the first
annual report of the Division are that, in order
to continue in its development, New Zealand
industry needs further training in industrial
administration and management, the development of personnel work within the factory, and
an improvement in the standards of factory
construction.
SWEDEN
T H E STATE TELEGRAPH ADMINISTRATION
Safely Education Programme
According to information in Arbetsledaren1
the Swedish State Telegraph Administration
recently decided to start a nation-wide safety
education scheme, intended to reach the greatest
possible number of the Administration's employees throughout the country.
The scheme will start with a correspondence
course given, free of charge, to about 800 safety
stewards appointed by the Administration. The
main purpose of the scheme will be to disseminate
information respecting the legal and technical
developments in the field of accident prevention.
SWITZERLAND
T H E ADVISORY OFFICE FOR ACCIDENT PREVEN-
TION IN 19432
The Office's Report for 1943 is confined to
road traffic, sport and agriculture.
As regards the incidence of road accidents,
the Office arrives at the conclusion that less
than one half of such accidents are recorded in
the Swiss official statistics and that before the
war there were about 40,000 a year in Switzerland, costing the country at least thirty million
francs.
The Office continued its investigations of
danger spots on the roads, and various improvement schemes have been prepared for the postwar period.
The Office has also continued to press for the
reinforcement of police supervision of road
i No. 6. Mar. 1944. p. 178.
' For 1942, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XX, No. 2, Apr,-June
1944, p. 56.
95
traffic and, at the same time to carry on educational work among road users.
Progress has been made in the organisation
of a safety campaign in agriculture. In the
absence of safety legislation this campaign must
rely for its success mainly on education and
propaganda. The Office has concluded an agreement with the Research and Advisory Office
for Agricultural Technique at Brugg whereby
accident prevention will be covered by the
general researches being undertaken for the
improvement of agricultural technique. The
attention of the agricultural population will be
drawn to the safety movement by means of
publications, courses and demonstrations.
It is realised that success will not be easy to
achieve because the agricultural background is
very different from the industrial and in particular, as already indicated, there is a comparative lack of safety-legislation in agriculture.
The Office confirms the conclusions given in its
Report for 1942 that the principal tasks will
be to improve implements and working methods
and to rationalise agriculture generally. The
present time is considered particularly suitable
for work of this kind, since agriculture in Switzerland is expanding, so that new workers have to
be trained and new implements acquired.
Emphasis is once more laid on the frequency of
accidents due to stumbling and falling and to
nails and sharp implements—almost all of them
accidents that can be put down to bad housekeeping. The general policy will be to show that
bad housekeeping and bad working methods are
not only dangerous but uneconomic. Special
efforts will be made to spread "downward"
methods whereby stocks are moved to processing and loading places by shafts and chutes,
thus avoiding hand transport in dark passages
and stairways.
Attention will also be paid to the prevention
of machine accidents, and more especially
cutting-machine accidents. It is also intended
to deal with winches which in recent years have
been used for all kinds of agricultural work and
have caused serious accidents. Another implement marked out for attention is the scythe.
Considerable success has attended the introduction of new methods of slicing roots. The
replacement of the chopping sheer by pendulum
and sawing slicers has not only saved labour
but has also served to prevent accidents.
An interesting example of the close relationship between technique and safety is afforded
96
by the new harvesting methods in sugar beet
cultivation. The customary method of gathering
the beet crop consisted of hooking out the beets
and then chopping off the tops. With this
method accidents were caused every year by
the chopping tool. With the new method, the
so-called Pommeritz method, the tops are
sliced off with a spade-like implement and the
beets loosened by an appliance fitted to a plough
so that they can easily be pulled out. The new
method has meant a saving of from thirty to
forty per cent, in work and has also practically
eliminated all risk of accidents. The Office
hopes that technique and safety will continue to
go hand in hand for the greater well-being of
Swiss agriculture.
New York
ESTABLISHMENT OF A DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL
SAFETY 1
The first phase in a recent reorganisation of
the New York State Department of Labor was
1
Industrial Bulletin (New York), May 1944, p. 179.
the establishment, on 5 May 1944, of a Division
of Industrial Safety. At the same time the
Department inaugurated a practical campaign
to reduce materially the 700,000 accidents
suffered annually by workers in the State.
The purpose of the new Division, which also
includes a Bureau of Safety Engineering, is to
provide an agency staffed with specially trained
and qualified personnel whose chief function
will be the collection, testing and putting into
actual operation of every practical method
devised to ensure the greatest possible degree
of physical safety.
The services of this agency will be made
available to every plant regardless of size or
number of employees.
Acting in an advisory capacity to the Bureau
of Safety Engineering, there will be an Interdepartment Safety Committee consisting of
the chiefs of various State Departments, including the Chairman of the Board of Standards
and Appeals, the Executive Director of the
Division of Industrial Hygiene, the Director of
the Division of Engineering, and the Director
of the Division of Statistics and Information,
as well as the Acting Director of the new Division
of Industrial Safety.
97
BRAZIL
ORDER N O . 47 RESPECTING UNIFORM STANDARDS
FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENTS AND OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES 1
In accordance with Decree No. 5216 of 22
January 1943, uniform standards have been
adopted for the classification of injuries due to
occupational accidents and for the calculation
of the damage resulting from them.
These standards deal, inter alia, with the
designation of various parts of the body; the
division of the body into sections and subsections; the reduction of movement and
strength; independent and interdependent injuries; and other measures for the evaluation
of indemnities and the relative seriousness of
injuries.
BRITISH DEPENDENCIES
Dominica
FACTORY AND MACHINERY RULES.
D A T E D 16 M A R C H 19442
Part IV of these rules deals with safety and
contains provisions for the fencing and guarding
of dangerous machinery, transmissions, flywheels, etc. Provisions are also made for precautions against fire, safe construction and
maintenance of steam boilers and pressure
plant, and safe construction, operation and
maintenance of lifting machinery and equipment.
Other parts of the rules deal with health
and welfare, duties of employers and employees,
etc.
CANADA
British Columbia
REGULATIONS
RESPECTING
STEAM-BOILERS
THE WELDING OF
AND PRESSURE-VESSELS.
DATED 2 M A Y 19443
The regulations relate to the testing of welders
and specifications for welding drums of steam1
Revista do Trabalho, Jan. 1944, p. 57.
' The British Columbia Gazette, 11 May 1944, p. 678.
2
boilers and pressure-vessels. The equipment
covered by the regulations is divided into three
classes according to the internal pressure. The
specifications concern welding materials, joints,
dished heads, reinforcements, stress relief, welded
pipes and pressure tests.
Quebec
REGULATIONS FOR THE CARRYING OUT OF THE
PRESSURE VESSELS ACT. D A T E D 20 APRIL 19441
These are detailed regulations containing 112
sections grouped in seven divisions as follows:
I. General provisions; I I . Construction and
inspection of pressure vessels; I I I . Installation
of pressure vessels; IV. Annual inspection of
pressure vessels; V. Regulations relating to
second-hand pressure vessels; VI. Regulations
relating to inspection and repairs; and VII.
Fees.
In general, the regulations require compliance
with various codes of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers and in particular with
those for boilers, unfired pressure vessels and
pressure piping.
Saskatchewan
ELECTRICAL REGULATIONS.
D A T E D 24 M A R C H 19442
An Order in Council of 24 March 1944 issues
the following regulations, which are largely
technical :
Regulations for safeguarding life and property
from hazards arising out of certain electrical
works and undertakings.
Regulations for securing the safety of workers
engaged in the operation or maintenance of
electrical generating stations, substations, and
transmission and distribution systems.
Regulations governing the operation, maintenance, and service conditions of electrical
generating stations, substations, and transmission and distribution systems.
Regulations regarding consents and permits
to construct and operate electrical generating
1
1
Quebec Official Gazette. 6 May 1944. p. 1070.
The Saskatchewan Gazette, Extra., 23 Mar. 1944, p. 3.
98
plants, substations and transmission and distribution systems, and regarding inspections
and reinspections.
FRANCE
Corsica
ORDER DATED 10 M A R C H 1944 RESPECTING THE
PROVISIONAL REORGANISATION OF INDUSTRIAL
MEDICAL
SERVICES
CORSICA
IN
1
The French Committee of National Liberation recently reorganised industrial medical
services in Corsica on a new basis.
An Order of 10 March 1944 defines the establishments in which the installation of a medical
service is required, the organisation of such
services, the responsibilities resting with the
physician charged with its direction and the
means of enforcement.
Establishments to which this Order applies
are:
(1) Those normally employing more than
50 persons;
(2) Factories, works, yards, workshops,
laboratories, kitchens, cellars and wine-stores,
warehouses, shops, offices, loading and unloading undertakings, theatres, circuses and other
establishments.
In each establishment or group of establishments under the Order, the medical services
shall be directed by a physician chosen by the
employer or employers who must inform the
Medical Inspector of Labour as to the appointment.
by imposing on the occupiers of the factories
and, where appropriate, on other persons in
the factories, specific obligations as to various
matters, including the provision of proper
drainage arrangements to deal with escape of
petroleum spirit, ventilation of test rooms to
prevent inflammable concentration of petrol
vapour, the use of flame-proof electrical apparatus and other precautions in respect of the
use of electrical apparatus, the fire-proof protection of test rooms, means of escape in case
of fire, prohibition of smoking and the use of
naked flames, and the provision of fire-extinguishing equipment.
The Order became effective on 1 August 1944.
THE
PATENT F U E L
MANUFACTURE
(HEALTH
AND W E L F A R E ) ORDER, 1944.
D A T E D 27 APRIL 19441
Made by the Minister of Labour and National
Service under Regulation 60 of the Defence
(General) Regulations, 1939, this Order provides
for the observance in patent fuel works of various
specified requirements with regard to ventilation, the suppression of dust, washing facilities
and clothing accommodation, medical supervision and examination, the protection of the
eyes and skin of workpeople, and messrooms.
The Order became effective on 15 May 1944
but certain requirements which might involve
structural alteration, etc. only came into operation on 15 August 1944.
AGREEMENT
RESPECTING
THE
SAFETY
AND
WELFARE OF WORKERS ENGAGED IN THE
SCALING, SCURFING AND CLEANING OF
BOILERS, AND THE CLEANING OF
O I L - F U E L TANKS, BILGES,
ETC., IN SHIPS 2
GREAT BRITAIN
FACTORIES
(TESTING
OF AIRCRAFT
ENGINES,
CARBURETTORS AND OTHER ACCESSORIES)
2
ORDER, 1944. D A T E D 25 APRIL 1944
This Order, made by the Minister of Labour
and National Service under Regulation 60 of
the Defence (General) Regulations, 1939, applies
to all factories in which the testing of aircraft
engines, carburettors and other accessories is
carried on. It makes provision for minimising
the risk of fire and explosions in these factories,
1
Journal officiel de la République française. No. 24, 18 Mar. 1944,
p. 218.
1
An Agreement has been made between the
Factory Department of the Ministry of Labour
and National Service and the employers' associations and trade unions representing firms
and their employees engaged in the scaling,
scurfing or cleaning of boilers (including combustion chambers and smoke boxes) and the
cleaning of oil-fuel tanks and bilges on board
ships which have been in service, regarding the
precautions to be observed with a view to securing the safety and welfare of the persons employed in such work.
1
2
The Ministry of Labour Gazette, Vol. LH, No. 6, June 1944, p. 93.
The Agreement includes a clause providing
that no person under the age of 18 years shall
be employed on any of the work referred to
above. I t also contains a series of rules designed
to ensure safe working conditions for the persons
employed.
These include provision for safe
means of access to the ships; adequate lighting;
soundness and security of staging; the prevention of explosions in oil-fuel tanks; and the
prevention of danger from the admission of
steam or hot water into boilers when men are
at work inside, or from movement of the ship
from its moorings. Other clauses in the Agreement stipulate that suitable protective clothing
shall be provided, together with accommodation
for clothing put off during working hours and,
where necessary, facilities for meals and for
washing.
The Agreement came into operation on 15
May 1944.
SPAIN
NATIONAL
LABOUR REGULATIONS FOR
PRINTING INDUSTRY.
D A T E D 23 FEBRUARY 19441
THE
Chapter X of the National Labour Regulations for the Printing Industry deals with safety
and hygiene, and contains regulations on ventilation, temperature, lighting, cleanliness, fire
precautions, precautions with machinery, health,
first aid, medical examinations and safety
organisation.
In undertakings employing 100 or more
workers and not possessing a safety committee,
a technical official is to be made responsible
for safety and hygiene.
SWEDEN
ACT AMENDING THE LABOUR PROTECTION ACT
OF J U N E 1912.
D A T E D 17 M A R C H 19442
This amendment to the Labour Protection
Act prohibits the marketing of unguarded
machinery. I t adds two sections numbered 6a
and 38a to the principal Act.
The first requires manufacturers and vendors of machines, tools or other technical equipment, and also persons hiring out such objects
for use, to see that on delivery they are provided
with the necessary safety devices and for the
1
Boletin Ofwial del Estado, 27 Feb. 1944; and Boletin de Seguridad
e Higiene del Trabajo. Vol. V. Jan.-Feb. 1944, No. 1, p. 24.
! Stiensifc Författniiigssnmling. No. 96, 23 Mar. 1944, p. 259.
99
rest afford adequate protection against accidents and diseases. Under section 38a, where
it is found necessary for preventing such objects
from being delivered and used without adequate
protection, the Industrial Inspectorate may,
after hearing the manufacturer, vendor or lessor
prohibit him from delivering the objects before
such measures have been taken as the Inspectorate may deem necessary. In special cases the
Inspectorate may issue a prohibition without
awaiting the manufacturer's, vendor's or lessor's
statement and may have it enforced through the
police authorities at the offender's cost.
SWITZERLAND
ORDER CONCERNING WORK IN WHICH.IT IS PROHIBITED TO EMPLOY WOMEN AND YOUNG
PERSONS. D A T E D 11 JANUARY 19441
Under this Order it is prohibited to employ
persons less than 18 years of age in the following occupations:
(1) Work involving the handling of explosives;
(2) Handling equipment with which explosive
or flammable substances are produced or employed, excepting autogenous welding and the
handling of gas apparatus in connection with
such work;
(3) Work presenting a serious danger of intoxication;
(4) Work requiring excessive physical or
mental effort.
Persons under 16 years of age shall not be
employed in the following occupations:
(1) Servicing motors, transmissions, hoists,
lifting equipment and electrical installations,
excepting small electric and hydraulic motors;
(2) Work with machinery known to present
serious accident risks;
(3) Work causing violent jolts or requiring
continual and tiring movement of the feet;
(4) Work with welding or cutting burners and
servicing gas apparatus used in connection
with the burners;
(5) Sorting of rags, soiled and not disinfected
clothing, and of horsehair and hog's bristles
which are not disinfected;
(6) Work involving the' lifting, carrying or
moving of heavy loads.
The employment of women in the following
occupations is prohibited:
1
Recueil des lois fédérales. No. 2. 13 Jan. 1944.
100
(1) Tiring work with lifting equipment;
(2) Work with machinery known to present
serious accident risks;
(3) Work presenting a serious danger of intoxication;
(4) Work causing violent jolts or requiring
continual and tiring movement of the feet;
(5) Work involving the lifting, carrying or
moving of heavy loads.
This Order became effective on 1 April 1944.
Two
N E W T O X I C FUME STANDARDS 1
The American Standards Association has
recently approved two more standards in its
series of standards setting allowable concentrations of toxic dusts and gases. These are the
1
American Standards Association, SP 184, 14 Apr. 1944.
American Standard Allowable Concentration
of Methanol (Z37.14-1944) and the American
War Standard Allowable Concentration of
Styrene Monomer (Z37.15-1944).
Methanol is used in refrigerator units and
cleaning type presses and in high concentration
acts as an anesthetic and also has a poisonous
effect on the nervous system. The permissible
concentration of this compound has been set at
200 parts per 1,000,000 parts of air by volume
for exposures not exceeding a total of 8 hours
per day.
Styrene Monomer is used primarily in the
production of plastics and synthetic rubber.
In chronic poisoning it acts as a lung irritant
and in acute poisoning affects the nervous
system. The allowable concentration has been
set at 400 parts per 1,000,000 parts of air by
volume for periods not exceeding a total of
8 hours a day.
CANADA
FATAL
INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENTS,
1943
1
Table II gives the distribution by industry
for 1943 (unrevised figures) together with
revised figures for 1942:
In the report under review, information is
given on the distribution of fatal accidents by
cause and industry, by province and industry
and by industry and month.
The distribution by main cause groups is
shown in table I.
TABLE
I
Cause
Striking against or being struck by objects
Falling objects
Handling of objects
Tools
Falls of persons
Other causes
Total
The Labour Gazette, Mar. 1944, p. 421.
Number of
fatal
accidents
29
11
43
203
41
198
24
7
489
20
223
124
1,412
TABLE
Industry
Agriculture
Logging
Fishing and trapping
Mining, non-ferrous
smelting and quarrying
Manufacturing.
Construction. .
Electricity, gas and
water production
and supply. . .
Transportation and
public utilities
Trade
Finance......
Service
Unclassified. . .
(a)
(6)
(c)
(dj
Fatal
accidents
1943
II
Fatal
accidents
1942
Number
gainfully
employed
latest
99
147
107
170
1,122,918 (a)
86,500 (a)
49
34
61,367 (d)
207
298
146
199
315
227
112,043 (c)
961,178 (6)
236,346 (a)
16
21
315
58
1
76
318
44
1
84
191,519
96,874
821,742
77,264
Decennial census of 1941.
Annual census of industry. 1941.
Annual census of industry, 1942.
Fishermen only, annual census of industry, 1942.
(a)
(a)
(a)
(a)
Summary information on the distribution of
accidents by province and severity in 1942 is
given in table I I I .
TABLE
Province
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British
Total Columbia
III
Medical
aid
Temporary
disability
7.601
3,930
9,530
7,356
570
215
77
34
73,289
7,546
3,114
5,266
35,904
45,201
5,929
3,516
11,455
28,476
2,081
265
108
110
901
367
45
28
97
194
—
—
Permanent
Fatal
Total
disaccidents accidents
ability
—
—
17,778
11,535
96,888
120,938
13.785
6,706
16,928
65,475
350,093
CAUSES
AND PRÉVENTION
OF INJURIES
FROM
FALLS IN SHIPYARDS 1
Of 13,512 injuries reported under the U.S.
Navy Department and U.S. Maritime Commission programme of safety and health in
contract shipyards 2,722, or approximately one
in five, were due to falls, 1,266 being falls on
the same level and 1,456 falls to a different
level.
The principal accident-cause groups in a
classification by unsafe working conditions
were poor housekeeping with 695 falls (26 per
cent.), inadequate guards or absence of guards,
355 (13 per cent.), defective construction of scaffolds, ramps and decks,etc, 195 (7 per cent.),and
improper illumination, 62 (2 per cent.) ; in 785
cases (28 per cent.) there were no unsafe conditions. Of the 695 falls due to poor housekeeping 578 were on the same level, 169 being
due to cables, air lines, hose, etc., on decks and
floors, 107 to metal parts, saddles, bolts, etc.,
on decks and floors, 216 to slippery work surfaces (111 to ice and snow, and 90 to rain and
moisture).
Classification of the 2,722 accidents by unsafe
personal actions shows "leaving materials unsafely" to be the most frequent cause (467
falls). Other common causes were taking short
cuts, 247; failure to place hand or guard railing,
216; failure to take secure footing or proper
position, 200; failure to construct scaffolds,
ladders, ramps, etc., safely, 198; unsafe use
of ladders, 160; working or walking too near
edges of stagings, scaffolds, decks, floors, docks,
trucks, barges, etc., 91 ; and failure to use guards,
demountable railings, etc., 53.
1
Monthly Labor Review. Oct. 1943, p. 166.
101
Sixty per cent, of all falls occurred in daylight
hours. I t is not possible to calculate frequency
rates per hour of the day but about 63 per cent.
of shipyard workers were employed in day
shifts and it is estimated that falls are relatively
25 per cent, more frequent between 5 p.m. and
midnight, and 250 per cent, more frequent
between midnight and 7 a.m., than between
7 a.m. and 5 p.m. It is therefore inferred that
inadequate lighting is a major cause of falls.
Analysis of the causes of the reported falls
indicates 10 corrective measures, which, if
successfully applied, would have prevented at
least three fourths of the accidents.
These
preventive measures are divided into two groups.
The first consists of steps which management
can carry out on its own initiative. The second
consists of measures which cannot be put into
operation by directive, but can be initiated by
management and made effective through full
co-operation between the workers and their
supervisors. Management's part in promoting
these measures would consist of the promulgation of positive rules of safe conduct and the
establishment of continuous programmes of
safety education designed to instil safety consciousness into the minds of all employees.
E Y E INJURIES IN SHIPYARDS 1
Of 19,244 accidents to shipyard workers
reported to the United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics during the first five months of 1943,
4,089 or 21 per cent, resulted in eye injuries.
The circumstances of these accidents are shown
in the table on the next page.
This analysis suggests the following preventive
measures :
(1) More extensive use of goggles both by
workers engaged in eye-hazard operations and
by those who must work near such operations.
(2) More extensive use of screens to shield
workers, other than the operators, from the
dangers of eye-hazard operations wherever such
shielding is practicable.
(3) Segregation of eye-hazard operations
whenever possible.
Complete success in the application of these
measures would reduce the volume of eye injuries by nearly 75 per cent.
The greater and more effective use of goggles,
however, involves more than merely making
such protective equipment available. In more
1
Idem. Dec. 1943, p. 1151.
102
engineers and 5 mining explosives engineers. In addition
to their routine inspections,
F a i l u r e t o w e a r or u s e
these officials undertook much
Other
UnNo
adequate protective
unclasAccident t y p e
Total
unequipment
special work in the interests
safe
sified,
safe
and source
w o r k - workinof
of mining safety.
ing
ing
suffiGoggles
injury
conconcient
No
They made special surveys
dididata
weldtions
tions
Not
Deing
Total
of
safety
problems in the handPer
Number
fecscreens
wearcent.
tive
ing
ling, storage, transportation
Flying
particles
and use of explosives at 37
lodging in e y e . .
2,100
51
311
380
1,204
1,575
38
110
Resulting
from
different undertakings, and
chipping, c a u l k ing, s c a l i n g . . . .
054
15
477
150
627
7
20
inspected
explosives storage
F r o m own opera14
027
454
150
604
17
0
facilities
at
1,195 undertaFroin other's op1
27
1
23
23
3
kings.
Fourteen
electrical sur376
9
312
34
4
340
20
Froni own operaveys
were
undertaken
at the
330
4
8
284
31
315
20
From
other's
request
of
mine
operators
who
37
1
3
6
28
31
operation
Grinding, reaming
needed
assistance
in
econo4
35U
9
284
61
345
10
From own operamising current and reducing
2
289
7
53
228
281
6
From
other's
hazards.
Another 177 special
operation
2
2
70
56
8
04
4
2
190
5
122
61
183
5
investigations
and 158 special
F r o m own opera2
170
5
110
60
170
4
visits
to
underground
workFrom
other's
14
12
1
13
1
(')
ings
and
surface
plants
were
Sheet-metal
and
machine
shop
made
at
the
request
of
operaoperations
84
2
09
74
0
5
4
Free
air-borne
tors for purposes such as imparticles
102
3
1
23
126
Sources u n k n o w n
provement of ventilation,
255
or unclassified. .
320
8
37
28
1,514
37
58
1,459
39
W e l d e r ' s flash. . .
1,245
156
10
storage of explosives, roof
F r o m own opera234
229
6
221
8
5
control, sealing of fire areas,
From
other's
1,280
31
1,024
50
1,230
34
156
16
operation
and reduction of flood risks.
Struck
b y other
After 61 mine fires and explo62
23
t h a n flying p a r t i 317
8
146
32
178
54
sions, assistance was given,
Other
accident
11
149
4
14
1
15
25
98
mine rescue and recovery
414
AH e y e injuries. .
100
2,609
402
3,227
242
4,089
156
206
work was organised, and spe(') Less than half of 1 per cent.
cial reports prepared. The
officials further attended 321
than 15 per cent, of the disabling cases resulting safety meetings and also addressed some of
from flying particles the injured person was them. The Bureau of Mines laboratory a t
wearing goggles, which indicates that the equip- Pittsburgh analysed 10,615 air samples and
ment was either mechanically defective or un- 10,213.mine-dust samples.
suited as a guard against the hazards involved.
The routine inspection work comprised initial
I t is essential therefore, that goggles of the inspection of 1,167 coal mines, both surface and
proper type should be provided and that all underground, in 24 States, and 409 reinspecgoggles should be inspected frequently to ensure tions, as against 778 initial inspections and no
that they are being used properly and are in reinspections in 1942. The Bureau has now
good condition.
visited practically all the 1,500 large mines in
I t is most important that workers and super- the United States which account for the bulk
visors should be made to understand both the of the national coal production. The reinspecneed for goggles and the particular types required tions have revealed many improvements resulting from the initial inspections. At all the mines
for various operations.
reinspected some improvements had been made
and in many of them there were twenty, thirty
F E D E R A L INSPECTION OF M I N E S IN 19431
or even more separate improvements.
As
At the end of 1943 the U.S. Bureau of Mines
regards ventilation, for example, additional
had 101 coal-mine inspectors, 5 mining electrical
fans were installed in many mines, additional
"Federal Inspection" by Dr. R. R. SAYERS, Director, U.S. Bureau
precautions were taken against ventilation
of Mines (Coal Age, Feb. 1944, p. 79).
N u m b e r of Cases
1
breakdowns, existing airways were cleared of
falls and new airways driven, dangerous booster
fans and portable blowers were removed, line
brattices were made more effective, stoppings
were made airtight, new openings were driven
and fireboss examinations were carried out
more thoroughly and more frequently. Much
progress has also been made in the prevention
of haulage accidents. In many mines clearances
have been improved, tracks have been relaid,
stumbling hazards removed and shelter holes
driven for the first time.
More mines are being rock-dusted than ever
before, better dust-control measures are being
employed, both underground and at the tipples;
more mines are using permissible explosives and
shotfiring equipment. The use of permissible
electrical cap lamps is spreading and electrical
installations have been made safer. As regards
shock and ignition risks, close co-operation has
been maintained between the Federal and the
State inspectors in all accident prevention work.
The Bureau of Mines itself has supported this
work by making some of its safety standards
stricter.
That all these activities have not been fruitless is shown by the estimates for coal-mining
accidents in 1943 which point to a reduction in
both bituminous and anthracite mines.
MINE
EXPLOSIONS
AND F I R E S ,
1942-19431
During the fiscal year ended 30 June 1943
there were 32 explosions in United States coal
mines and they caused the loss of 152 lives.
The principal causes were electricity (19 explosions, 66 deaths), and open lights or smoking
(9 explosions, 86 deaths). In the fifteen-year
period 1929-1943 electricity caused 172 explosions with 1,029 deaths; and open lights or
smoking, 131 explosions with 393 deaths. During
the same period explosives were responsible for
55 explosions with 317 deaths, and other causes,
29 explosions with 66 deaths.
An analysis of the 172 explosions due to
electrical causes shows that the most frequent
individual cause was a trolley or cable-reel
locomotive (40 explosions). Next came nonpermissible mining machines (37), electric arcs
(32), non-permissible mining drills (18), and
non-permissible electric motors (15).
In the five-year period 1906-1910 the average
annual number of fatalities in explosions in
i Coal-Mine Explosions and Coal- and Metal-Mine Fires in the
United States during the Fiscal Year ended June SO, 1943. Information
Circular 7274, Feb. 1944.
103
bituminous mines was 438. Since then this
average has varied as follows: 1911-1915, 323;
1916-1920, 176; 1921-1925, 296; 1926-1930, 262;
1931-1935, 65; 1936-1940, 116. The rise in recent
years is attributed to the following causes among
others: (1) the rapid increase in use of electrical
equipment at face regions, where gas is most
likely to be found; (2) the increased demand for
coal to supply defence industries; (3) desire
of mining machine manufacturers and mine
operators to obtain maximum tonnage per machine at minimum cost, which has resulted in
neglect of rudimentary precautionary measures;
(4) .multiple-shift operation, which does not
allow time for adequate maintenance of equipment, proper rock dusting, and testing for gas
by fire-bosses; (5) decrease in supervision owing
to demands on supervisors for maximum tonage; (6) lack of effective supervision owing to
numerous causes; (7) inability to obtain adequate equipment repair and replacement parts;
(8) shortage of skilled labour; and (9) failure
of both miners and mining officials to show
regard for safety in changing from hand-loading
to mechanised methods.
Mine fires in the fiscal year 1943 numbered
27 and cost 15 lives. In the period 1930-1942
there were 324 fires (including 55 metal-mine
fires and 11 outcrop fires) in which 114 lives
were lost. Electricity caused 100 of these fires,
explosives 34 and open lights 19.
According to the report most coal-mine explosions of electrical origin during the past 13
years have shown evidence of carelessness of
various kinds, including a flagrant disregard of
safe ventilation practices, e.g., leaving doors
open (generally latched open) on main or important haulage entries; not using line brattices
where they certainly should be used, or permitting line brattices to be in poor condition
or not extended close enough to the face; inadequate ventilation by blower-fan methods; coursing of air through or past partly caved, more
or less inaccessible, and hence poorly ventilated
workings. Other factors in electrical ignitions
of gas and dust were: (1) failure to test for gas
before going into working places with electrical
equipment, such as mining machines, electric
locomotives, loading machines, or electric drills,
or failure to test from time to time while using
this equipment; (2) use of electrical equipment
too soon after the mine fan has been started
after a shut-down; (3) failure to examine a mine
properly on idle days when only a skeleton crew
104
is in the mine; (4) use of haulageways as return
airways; (5) failure to install and utilise permissible electrical equipment or to maintain
permissible electrical equipment in a safe or
permissible condition; and (6) haphazard
methods of making cable splices and of attaching cable nips to power wires.
Stress is laid on the value of rock dusting.
During the year under review, explosions occurred in 28 bituminous mines: eight explosions
in rock-dusted mines cost five lives, and fifteen
in mines with no rock dust cost 104 lives.
The general conclusion reached in the report
is that coal-mine explosions can be prevented
if certain well-known precautionary measures
are conscientiously applied. Support for this
conclusion is found in the record of Pennsylvania
where the anthracite mines, many of which are
extremely gassy, have been operated for five
years without a single major explosion. These
mines employ some hundred thousand men.
EMPLOYMENT AND ACCIDENTS AT GOLD, SILVER
AND MISCELLANEOUS M E T A L
1
IN 1942
Mineral
Industry
Surveys,
Persons killed and injured
Accident causes
Underground
Fall of roof or s i d e s . . . .
Handling materials (includ ng rock or ore). . .
H.S.S.
Killed
Injured
Total
19
1,145
1,164
1
989
431
40
651
484
990
431
46
662
495
241
549
11
Explosives
Haulage
Falls of perscns
R u n of ore from chute
or pocket
6
11
11
Electricity
Machinery (other t h a n
locomotives or drills) . .
2
236
549
9
1
8
189
5
190
13
3
3
14
120
799
17
120
802
70
5,661
5,731
9
6
14
138
188
1,005
147
194
1,019
99
.. 6,992
7,091
Suffocation from natural
gases
Stepping on nails
Other causes
Total underground.
Shafts
Open-cut mines
Surface
MINES
Reports furnished by operating companies to
the U.S. Bureau of Mines show that the number
of men employed in gold, silver and miscellaneous
metal mines in the United States, declined
sharply in 1942 to the lowest figure since 1934.
Company reports covered 4,512 mines in
1942 compared with 8,247 mines in 1941 and
9,947 in 1940. Employment in 1942 covered
39,480 men, a decrease of 18,642 from the
number employed in 1941. Of these, 23,029 men
were employed at gold lode mines, 8,417 at
placer operations and 8,034 were engaged in
the production of miscellaneous metals.
The total accident rate per million manhours worked decreased slightly from 91.88 in
1941 to 91.11 in 1942; the fatality rate, however,
rose from 0.89 in 1941 to 1.27, while the injury
rate varied only slightly, from 90.99 in 1941
to 89.84 in 1942.
Accidents to employees in 1942 resulted in
99 fatalities and 6,992 non-fatal lost-time injuries. Of the fatal accidents, 70 occurred in
lode mining, 4 at placer operations and 25 at
miscellaneous metal mines; 79 occurred in
underground mines, 14 at surface operations
and 6 in open pits. Of the injuries, 5,799 took
1
U.S. BUREAU OF MINES:
No. 334.
place underground, 1,005 on the surface arid
188 in open pits.
The following table shows the classification
of fatal and non-fatal accidents according to
causes :
Grand total
5
ACCIDENTS IN VARIOUS M E T A L M I N E S ,
19421
During the year 1942,. 25 fatal and 1,553
non-fatal accidents occurred in mines engaged
in the production of bauxite, chromite, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium-uranium, antimony, cobalt, titanium,
pyrite and manganiferous iron, as compared
with 19 fatal and 1,152 non-fatal accidents in
1941.
There were 8,034 men employed in the metal
mines; this is an increase of over 21 per cent.
as compared with 1941. Of these, 4,951 were
working underground, 1,850 in open-cut mines
and 1,233 on the surface.
Of the total number of accidents, 78 per cent.
occurred underground where almost two thirds
of the total number of workers are employed;
8 per cent, occurred in open-cut mines; and 14
per cent, to surface workers.
Underground, haulage equipment and explosives caused the "greatest number of deaths,
while falls of rock or ore, and accidents due to
i Idem. H.S.S. No. 329.
105
explosives and drilling caused the greatest
number of non-fatal injuries.
At open-cut
mines, most accidents were caused by machinery (other than locomotives and power
shovels) and falls of persons. Handling materials
was the greatest cause of surface injuries.
The fatal accident rate per million manhours in 1942 was 1.40 as compared with 1.38
in 1941 and the non-fatal accident rate rose
from 83.65 in 1941 to 86.94 in 1942.
The following table shows employment and
accidents by kind of metal during 1942.
Kind of metal
Bauxite
Chromite
Manganese
Manganiferous iron. . . .
Mercury
Molybdenum
Pyrite
Titanium
Tungsten
Vanadium and uranium
Other metals (including
antimony and cobalt).
Total
Men
employed
Tatal
accidents
Nonfatal
accidents
143
234
74
58
353
53
38
20
503
68
1,373
792
748
404
1,523
658
201
133
1,412
708
82
8,034
25
U N I T E D STATES B U R E A U OF M I N E S .
1,553
ANNUAL
REPORT OF R E S E A R C H AND TECHNOLOGICAL
WORK ON COAL.
FISCAL Y E A R
19431
Among the topics of safety interest discussed
in this report are the work of the Bureau's
experimental mine, multiple-shift mechanical
mining, Diesel engines, explosives and explosions,
magnesium fires, spontaneous mine fires and
spontaneous heating of stored coal.
The experimental mine has been used for
research into decay of mine timber, allaying
of coal dust, and problems of rock dusting.
Under the head of multi-shift mechanical
mining the report deals briefly with mechanical
extraction of pillars, haulage safety devices
and handling lubricants in mines.
In connection with explosives, researches
have been conducted on sheathed cartridges,
detonators, cardox devices, and cushioned blasting. Other researches have been concerned
with the ignition of explosive gas-air mixtures
by static electricity, and the inflammability
and explosibility of powdered metals and synthetic resins.
> Information Circular 7272, Feb. 1944.
ACCIDENTS IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY,
19431
In 1943 the general frequency rate of 12.87
reported by the petroleum industry was only
11.0 per cent, above the lowest figure ever
reported—11.59 in 1940; and the severity rate
of 1.30 was the lowest of all time.
The following table summarises the accident
statistics for the industry as a whole and for
some of the principal departments:
Injuries1
Department Number
of
workers
Refining
112,793
Marketing
(wholesale)
52,589
Production
46,221
Pipe line (oil) 19,356
Total, all
departments
335,570
Injury rates
Injury
index
Frequency
2,707 (41)
24.25
10.75
1.35
1,059 (8)
1,878 (16)
503 (6)
14.65
34.82
22.86
8.65
18.22
11.46
0.60
1.66
1.14
9,878(113)
25.87
12.87
1.30
Severity
1
The figures in brackets are those of fatal injuries and injuries
resulting in permanent total disability, included in the totals.
The departments with the highest injuryindex figures were drilling with 5,221 workers,
which had an injury index of 104.59, a frequency
rate of 53.99 and a severity rate of 5.06; and
marine (inland) with 824 workers, an injury
index of 137.59, a frequency rate of 12.89 and
a severity rate of 12.47..
The general accident record of the industry
over the period 1938-1943 is shown in the table
below :
Year
No. of
workers
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
316,987
315,731
327,112
333,122
335,328
335,570
MOTOR
No. of
No. of workers
workers to each
to each
disfatality abling
injury
2,733
3,222
3,239
2,948
3,224
2,970
CARRIER
38
40
41
41
40
34
FIRE
Injury rates
Index
Frequency
Severity
28.54
26.06
25.99
26.18
24.82
25.87
12.64
11.96
11.59
11.78
11.72
12.87
1.59
1.41
1.44
1.44
1.31
1.30
ACCIDENTS,
19422
The following table provides a comparison,
for the years 1940-1942, between fire accidents
and other accidents involving vehicles of motor
carriers subject to the jurisdiction of the Inter1
AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE: Annual Summary of Injuries in
the2 Petroleum Industry for 194S (New York, Apr. 1944).
Interstate Commerce Commission, U.S. Bureau of Motor Carriers,
Section of Safety, Washington, D.C., Mar. 1944.
106
state Commerce Commission. Some of the data
are only approximate.
Fire accidents—per cent.
of total number of accidents
1942
1941
1940
3.47
2.32
3.24
Fire accident fatalities—
per cent, of total num12.5
ber of fatalities
8.0
Fire accident injuries—
per cent, of total number of injuries
2.41
2.44
1.92
Fatality per fire accident
0.403
0.442
0.228
Fatality per accident of
all kinds
0.112
0.085
0.077
Injury per fire accident
0.771
0.805
0.553
Injury per accident of
all kinds
1
11.9
INJURIES
AND
ACCIDENT
0.770
0.756
Dollar damage per fire
8,000!
accident
3,770
3,713
Dollar damage per accident of all kinds
742
452
" 418
Total losses—fire accidents (vehicles)
236
702
60
$4,740 subtracting five accidents involving more than $840,000.
Of 309 motor carrier fire accidents reported
in 1942, 132 resulted from collision, 68 from
accidents other than collision and 109 were
described as "fire only". Of 326 persons killed
and injured in these accidents, 97 were drivers
of carriers' vehicles, 58 drivers of other vehicles,
8 helpers and relief drivers, 37 passengers in
carriers' vehicles, 81 passengers in other vehicles,
40 bystanders and 5 pedestrians.
The most frequent starting places of the 312
fires reported were: fuel tanks (102), at or forward of cab (85) ; under hood and about engine
(55); in cargo space (41).
The principle fire causes were collision (104),
overturned or ditched (30), bad wiring (29),
sparks (20). In 78 of the accidents mechanical
defects were a contributory cause, the principle
items of equipment involved being service
brakes (16), tires (16), engines (14), and lights
(8).
The report closes with a number of recommendations in which special importance is attached to proper inspection and maintenance
of vehicles, precautions against spilling of
fuel, and precautions with vehicles laden with
explosives or flammable liquids.
IN
THE
19421
This very instructive report consists of an
account of conditions of employment of dockers
with special reference to hazards, and of safety
organisation in dock work, together with descriptions of typical accidents. Annexed are
numerous statistical tables and the texts of
maritime safety codes for stevedoring and
freight handling operations in the port of New
York and on the Pacific coast.
New Y o r k
INDUSTRIAL
1.072
CAUSES
LONGSHORE INDUSTRY,
FATALITIES
19432
Fatalities reported to the Workmen's Compensation Division of the New York State
Department of Labor during 1943 totalled
1,334. This was 15 more than in 1942 and 55
more than in 1941.
Fatal accidents continued in an upward trend
in the manufacturing, transportation, and service industries. Manufacturing, with 497 fatalities showed an increase of 16 per cent, over
1942, and transportation and service industries,
with 150 and 218 fatalities respectively, an increase of 14 per cent, and 2 per cent. The total
of 161 for construction, however, was almost
29 per cent, less than for the previous year.
Outstanding was the low total of 103 fatal
accidents in trade, which was 22 per cent, lower
than for 1942. Agriculture reported only 5
fatal accidents.
Falls were once again the leading cause of
fatal accidents and accounted for a total of
287 deaths. Vehicles claimed the next greatest
number of victims (218) although this was 14
per cent, less than in 1942. Two hundred lives
were lost as a result of injuries received while
handling heavy, bulky, and sharp objects, and
deaths attributed to contact with harmful substances totalled 103—the largest number on
record. Hoisting apparatus was the cause of
64 deaths and machines of 45 as compared with
45 and 32 fatalities in the preceding year, but
deaths caused by falling objects fell from 83 in
1942 to 78 in 1943.
1
U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bulletin No.
764,
Washington, 1944, 53 pp.
!
The Industrial Bulletin, Jan. 1944, p. 36.
R E V I E W OP P E R I O D I C A L S
Wisconsin
COMPENSABLE INJURY CASES SETTLED IN
19431
During the year under review the number of
compensable injury cases settled under the
Workmen's Compensation Act of Wisconsin
increased 5 per cent., from 28,746 cases in 1942
to 30,185 in 1943.
1
INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION OK WISCONSIN: Statistical Release No.
3127, 14 Feb. 1944.
107
The injury cases settled in 1943 include 153
fatal cases, 4 permanent total disability cases,
2,526 permanent partial disability cases and
27,502 temporary disability cases, compared
with 151 deaths, 7 permanent total disabilities,
2,488 permanent partial disabilities, and 26,100
temporary disabilities for the previous year.
The average number of working days lost
per injury case settled decreased from 17.2 in
1942 to 16.7 in 1943.
La profilaxis de los accidentes del trabajo.
By
Henri François TECOZ.
(Bolelln de Information del
Institute National de Prévision, Madrid, 1943, No. 12,
p. 1.)
Basing himself on the fact that the general trend in
medicine since the beginning of this century has been
towards prophylaxis, the prevention of infection, functional disturbances and other diseases, the author of this article
emphasises the growing importance of accident prevention.
In all conditions of life "prevention is better than cure";
it is simpler and less costly.
Occupational accidents constitute a plague that must be
fought, just as social diseases are fought, with the utmost
energy. While prophylaxis with respect to disease is being
enriched daily by considerable scientific advancement,
prophylaxis with respect to occupational accidents seems
almost non-existent. I t is limited to techm'cal requirements, the effectiveness of which is absolutely insufficient.
It is necessary to prevent occupational accidents not only
by means of better techniques but also by means of modern
methods such as experimental and applied psychology.
The author refers to the resolution adopted by the
Fifth Psychotechnical Conference, as well as to international conferences for the study of methods of protection, in which the human factor was taken into consideration and its importance estimated.
I t is essential t h a t investigations with the object of
determining the importance of certain factors in occupational accidents be carried out by the "psychologist" and
the "social specialist" at the same time.
Mr. TECOZ makes a detailed study of accidents in relation to the hour of the day, the day of the week, lighting,
the worker's grade, and of accidents during apprenticeship. He deals also with "accident proneness". In this
respect he mentions the tests carried out by BINGHAM
proving t h a t accident proneness is often closely related
to the blood pressure or other factors, e.g., faulty adjustment or lack of aptitude on the part of the worker for the
task he is performing. Another fundamental factor is
fatigue. A distinction should be made between "fatigue"
and "laxity". The state of laxity is a purely psychological
concept in the realm of experience; fatigue is a neutral
psychophysical concept in the realm of action, and thus
plays an important role in the causation of accidents.
In conclusion, the author protests against the widespread practice of giving insufficient data. The study of
accidents and their prophylaxis is based almost exclusively
on statistical analysis; without denying the usefulness of
such statistics, the author feels that by breaking them
down, the complete picture is lost sight of and the general
problem is not perceived. The technical expert must make
an effort to reduce accidents caused by mechanical factors, and the doctor must concern himself with those
caused by unquestionable physical handicaps.
The
psychologist should examine the individual in his entirety
(manual skill, intellectual and moral qualities).
According to the author, "accident proneness" does not
exist. Thanks to modern methods of investigating personality, individual occupational orientation permits the determination of the work most suited to each individual.
The generalisation of this procedure will contribute to the
reduction of the number of accidents to a considerable
degree.
Our Unfinished Job. By H. W. ANDERSON. {National
Safety News, July 1944, p. 10.)
General Motors Corporation, whose accident record
both in 1942 and 1943 has won for it special safety awards,
operates on the principle t h a t unless an improvement is
shown in its safety record over the preceding year, its full
responsibilities have not been met.
Its excellent record (a comparison with average industries shows t h a t the Corporation is about 70 per cent.
better in frequency rates and 65 per cent, better in severity
rates) is. attributed largely to the application of six principles. These are:
(1) Interest in safety on the part of top management.
(2) A definitely established safety organisation throughout the supervisory organisation to each individual
employee.
(3) Adequate and capable full-time safety personnel.
(4) Written safety procedure and instructions for each
occupation.
(5) Thorough safety instruction of new employees.
(6) Stimulation of interest in safety on the part of every
employee.
A brief outline of the actual application of these principles in a particular plant concludes the article.
(The Illinois Labor Bulletin, May 1944, p. 7.)
The value of injury reduction is emphasised in this
article. Although manufacturers are anxious to insure
themselves against loss of time and movement in industry,
108
ÎNDUSTEIAL SAFETY SURVEY
many of them overlook "preventable accidents" which
actually amount to 98 per cent, of all accidents occurring
in plants.
A study of accidents in Illinois shows t h a t indemnities
paid for fatal and permanent total disabilities amounted
to one fifth of the indemnities paid for other injuries. It is
also significant that the greater portion of injuries were due
to falls, slipping, handling objects, etc., the causes of
which are largely controllable.
It is emphasised t h a t small plants, where the number of
employees does not warrant the employment of a fulltime safety engineer present a major accident prevention
problem. The factors of protection to the workers, efficiency and low production costs are all interdependent but
dependent on safety, which can be maintained only with
the full co-operation of management and employees.
Eye-Plan for Safety. By T. R. LEADBBATER. (Safety
Engineering, June 1944, p. 45.)
The outline of an effective plan evolved to reduce eye
injuries is given in this article. This programme for eye
protection, in effect in a plant where 60 per cent, of all
occupational accidents was to the eyes, resulted in the
reduction of this figure to 5 per cent.
Current M i n i n g P r o b l e m s .
By H. J. HUMPHEYS,.
D.S.O., O.B.E., M.C., H.M. Divisional Inspector of
Mines. (The Iron and Coal Trades Review, 21 January
1944, p. 85, and 28 January 1944, p. 123.)
The problems here selected for consideration relate to
roof control, coal dust, overwinding, ambulances, rehabilitation, training of new workers, shotfiring, power loading
and American methods of mining.
near conveyor belt rollers; (d) reduction of dust passing
into return airways with different methods of coal-getting;
(e) automatic application of stone dust to render the fine
dust carried into returns non-inflammable; (/) reduction of
dust formed on intake and haulage roads through various
causes, including spillage and crushing; (g) application of
water sprays and mists.
At loading points two methods of treatment have been
utilised: (1) collection of dust by withdrawal of the dusty
air from above-the t u b by means of a fan (capacity 1,500
to 3,000 cu.ft./min.) or by a compressed air ejector; (2)
precipitation of the dust by means of a mist consisting of
very fine droplets of water, the wetted or moisture-laden
dust falling either into the t u b or upon the belt or, alternatively, in the immediate vicinity where it will not be
redispersed.
Enquiries have shown t h a t in selected mines less t h a n
half the dust collectors installed were actually in use and
the author estimates t h a t for the industry as a whole the
proportion is only about 40 per cent. This is mainly due
to defects in the collectors and their unsuitability in certain mining conditions. The chief objections to collectors
were: (1) failure to deal satisfactorily with the dust; (2)
increased liability to accidents; (3) difficulties from the
use of mists; (4) lack of co-operation by workmen; and (5)
unsuitability of local conditions.
The characteristics and performance of various types of
collector are summarised in tabular form.
One of the most satisfactory methods so far found during
the investigations of the Mining Research Laboratory for
applying the mist at a loading point is by the rectangular
arrangement shown in the figure below. The mist may be
produced either by means of water under pressure or by
water plus compressed air. I t should be stressed t h a t
although with the latter type "atomisation" of the water
M.L.R. Rectangular mist projector for use at loading points
A Review of Present M e t h o d s for D u s t Control
and Possible Future R e q u i r e m e n t s . By J. Ivon
GRAHAM. (The Iron and Coal Trades Review, 7 July
1944, p. 3, and 14 July 1944, p. 45.) "
A national scheme of investigations into means for the
collection and suppression of dust in mines was put into
operation in Great Britain by the British Colliery Owners'
Research Association. In spite of the war, investigations
under this scheme have resulted in considerable advances
in the technique of dust control and also a change of outlook as to the possibilities of suppressing dust at the coal
face. The author sets out to review the relative importance of different operations and areas underground in
regard to dust formation.
The co-operative investigations of the British Colliery
Owners' Research Association and the district dust research committees included a study of methods for: (a)
reduction at loading points; (&) control or reduction of
dust during cutting; (c) reduction of dust accumulations
used is more complete, should the water supply fail the
compressed air will then tend to make conditions worse.
Much attention has been given to the fine dust deposited in
the vicinity of the under rollers of the conveyor belt system and the following means have been tried for its solution:
(1) Wire brushes. The use of wire brushes pressing on
the belt stretched over two additional 9 in. drums.
(2) Friction or rubbing belts. Small belts of roughened
canvas and studded with Bristol or Baxter fasteners are
arranged to revolve round two small rollers which press
them against the conveyor belt, the effective action being
a combination of a rubbing with a slight vibrating action.
(3) Eccentric or vibrating roller. The Mining Engineering
Company, Worcester, supply an oval roller spring-loaded
with the spindle bracket mounted to slide vertically.
(4) Scraper or ploughs. The simple rubber scraper, as
well as a spring-loaded plough type, has been tried in the
Midland Counties, and of the two the second was found to
be superior.
109
BEVIEW OF PEHIODICALS
Arrangements 2 and 4 were found to be most effective,
the reduction in deposition being, on the average, about
70 per cent. The quantity collection with a spring-loaded
plough type amounted to 486 lbs., during one shift, for an
output of 1,015 tons.
The effect of efficient spraying at a transferpointandthe
use of other wet methods for the suppression of dust upon
deposition from the belt have not yet been elucidated,
although there have been indications that dust deposition
at belt rollers is lower when wet methods for dust suppression have been employed. Further investigation of means
for the cleaning of belts is needed and the possible effect
of electrostatic charging of belt and dust particles adhering
thereto should be studied.
In connection with the dust reduction at the coal face,
the fineness of cutting has been studied in several districts.
Overcutting, as might be expected, produced on the average less fines t h a n undercutting. Various investigations
show that gummers tend to reduce the amount of fines and
thereby diminish, to some extent, the quantity of dust in
subsequent filling operations, but the sharpness of picks
and rate of cutting would seem to be of greater importance. Direction of cutting in relation to coal cleat also
appears to have an effect upon the fineness. The average
quantity of through 240 mesh dust formed during overcutting would appear to be of the order of 1.7 per cent.,
or from 100 yds. of face with a 4-ft. 6-in. cut, about 850
lbs., and for undercutting about 3 per cent, or nearly
1,700 lbs. The quantity actually dispersed into the air
during cutting is, therefore, only a small proportion of the
total dust formed. Experience shows t h a t the amount
dispersed in the air during overcutting is usually much
greater, other factors being equal, than is the case with
middle or undercutting and the problem of suppressing
dust is consequently more difficult. The velocity of air
at the coal face is, obviously, of considerable importance.
in connection with the amount of dust dispersed.
The methods of suppressing dust in overcutting include
cowling the back end of the cutter jib and use of water
mist formed by compressed air. This latter method, however, was not successful in suppressing dust at points of
contact between the cutter picks and the coal roof.
I t seems probable t h a t a fine mist of spray produced by
water alone in the dusty zone and suitably enclosed by
strips of belting would be more successful.
The author also describes various attempts at wet undercutting. Satisfactory results have been achieved in South
Wales by directing one jet upon the picks and jib chain
entering a cut and a second upon the issuing chain, picks
and cuttings. Wet cutting is now being used in about 40
conveyor districts in collieries in South Wales and it is
claimed t h a t the reduction of dust is from 60 to 90 per
cent, throughout the whole period of the filling shift.
The author next describes American methods of wet
cutting and considers various difficulties encountered in
Great Britain in attempts to suppress dust both at the
face and in the roads.
In conclusion he enumerates the specific matters that
require further investigation. These include wet cutting
methods, infusion methods utilising compressed air, laboratory tests, dust a t loading points, design and care of jets,
filtration of air passing into return airways, wet drilling
and power loading.
A useful bibliography is appended to the article.
T h e F o r m a t i o n of D u s t Clouds. By N. M. POTTER,
M . S c , P h . D . (The Iron and Coal Trades Review, 9
June 1944, p. 861.)
The Mining Department of the University of Sheffield
carried out researches during the years 1940-1943 on the
formation and stability of dust clouds in coal mines.
The present article consists of substantial extracts from a
very interesting paper describing these researches, which
the author summarises in the following terms:
Section I.—Experiments, in which deposits of various
dusts on the floor of an air duct are subjected to an air
blast, show that the process of cloud formation is essentially similar for all mine dusts and apparently follows
a definite law which is supported by theoretical considerations. Intimate mixtures of coal and inert dusts show
no preferential erosion of coal dust, neither is there any
significant separation of the constituents within the
dust cloud in space or time.
Section II.—Methods have been developed which
ascertain the composition of the dust clouds produced
from the most readily moved dust surfaces in the mine.
A survey of four mines using different types of stone
dust has been completed, and' a correlation established
of the composition of the dust cloud formed from mine
surfaces with that of the dust samples taken according
to the Regulations. I t has not been established t h a t
any of the four dusts in use show any preferential
ease of cloud formation. The inert dusts form dust
clouds much more readily in the mine than is implied
by laboratory experiments.
Section III.—An original method of projecting a
cloud of inert dust in advance of the flame of an explosion has been developed. The dust cloud, which is conf.iniinne nr*A t„U„
Air.
J :
J
J-_u
i-
CORRIGENDUM
P. 109, col. 2, line 22: for "semi-microdispensability" read "semi-micro-dispersability".
satisiaccory m suppressing mild innammations or explosions
in the early non-violent stages. The stone-dusting of
mines has provided a partial remedy to the danger of coaldust explosions, and has undoubtedly reduced the violence
in most cases. Modern methods of mining and loading
coal have, however, increased the production of coal
dust so that the continuous dilution of combustible dust
by stone dust in all parts of the mine presents grave
practical difficulties.
Research in recent years has shown t h a t certain chemical
compounds are twenty times as effective as common stone
dusts in suppressing the flame of an explosion. The effectiveness of these inhibitors depends on the surface area
of the dispersed dust. The problem, therefore, is to produce a true cloud of very fine dust of superior efficacy in
advance of an explosion. Attempts have been made to
accomplish this by discharging the dust from a gun by
means of an explosive charge. A thermal relay is operated
by the advancing flame. T h e electrical circuit completed
by the flame fires the detonator and so explodes the charge.
This type of barrier is largely due to Dr. A. ALLSOP, of the
Safety in Mines Research Board. The apparatus developed
by the author a t Sheffield University is the outcome of
observation of this type of barrier.
The disadvantages of this barrier were t h a t the charge
of explosive was not intrinsically safe; careful maintenance
was essential and its efficiency would depend on the speed
of the dust explosion. An attempt has been made at
Sheffield to overcome these disadvantages to some extent
by replacing the explosive charge by a propellant consisting either of compressed air from the mains or compressed
gas from a suitable cylinder.
The improved apparatus consists essentially of a gunmetal cylinder threaded at both ends and provided with
an outlet on one side (fig. 1.). J u s t above the outlet a
rim projects from the wall of the cylinder and supports
a stout rubber gasket. A strong sealed glass bulb fits
into the orifice and contains a low tension detonator with
firing leads passing out of the base of the cylinder by
means of a small removable plug. The glass bulb is held
in position either by .the pressure of the air mains or by a
gasket screwed down on to the bulb by the inlet tube.
Compressed-air hose which leads to a suitable dust bin
is connected to the outlet tube. The detonator leads are
connected in series to a battery and suitable relay. Operation of the relay fires the detonator, which shatters the
surrounding bulb. Compressed air can now pass through
the outlet port to the dust bin. A maximum orifice of 2
in. is provided in the present design, although most tests
have been conducted with a l}^-in. outlet or less by
means of reduction head pieces.
Fig. 2 shows diagrammatically the installation and t h e
design of bin which has proved most effective.
110
Owing to the fact t h a t the seal on the compressed air
main is broken by a detonator the apparatus in its present
form could not be installed in a coal mine roadway without an amendment to the regulations in force.
EXPLOSION V l S « l
suitable connections. Where bolted flanges are used, they
should be secured by three or more bolts; two are insufficient. If it is necessary to patch a punctured hose, the
patch should be bound tightly and in such a manner t h a t
no free edges are left to vibrate; a hard " b u t t o n " firmly
held between the patch and the binding, directly over the
puncture, is suggested as an added safeguard.
Wartime Accident Prevention in t h e Paint a n d
Varnish I n d u s t r y . By Arthur W . STEVDEL. {Paint
and Varnish Production Manager, May 1943, p . 122.)
Fig. 1 — Pressure release device
O'-v
SIEVES^';
'-...'--..
AND / a
This article deals with the particular safety problems
of the paint and varnish industry.
It is suggested t h a t in the manufacture of paints and
varnishes, hazards could be reduced b y enclosing the actual
process, by providing adequate ventilation, by enforcing
strict sanitation and by requiring the workers to be cleanly
dressed. Since the ingredients used in making paints and
varnishes are often flammable, every precaution should be
taken to prevent fire. The toxicity of paint and varnish
components, in particular of white lead and of the chromium and barium compounds, is also a source of occupational
hazards in this industry.
The manufacture of paints and varnishes is, however,
less hazardous than their application. The author stresses
t h a t foremen in plants handling quantities of paint
products should be thoroughly acquainted with these
materials. I n this connection, a description is given of
the ventilating systems in structures used for spray painting operations incertain American bomber assembly plants.
Good housekeeping, the elimination of fire hazards and the
wearing of respirators are considered to be essential for
the safe application of paints and varnishes.
S y n t h e t i c Rubber M a n u f a c t u r e . By Glen D . CROSS.
{National Safety News, August 1944, p. 14.)
SCALt/oAPPRCuO
(DIAGRAMMATIC)
In this concise article the author briefly describes the
manufacturing process and then considers different phases
of it and more especially the storage and handling of
styrene and butadiene, acids and caustics.
I n dealing with storage he enumerates the principal
precautions to be taken in unloading tank cars and in
connection with storage tanks. He then turns to transport
equipment, including pipe lines, pumps and compressors.
Lastly> he discusses at some length pressure release devices
such as safety valves and rupture discs.
Fig. 2 — Arrangement of the bin
Fires Caused by Leaking Compressed Air Pipes. {The
Iron and Coal Trades Review, 30 June 1944, p . 997.)
I n a letter addressed to the editor, Dr. H. F . COWABD,
Acting Director of the Safety in Mines Research Board,
Research Laboratories at Sheffield, draws attention to the
fire risk originating in punctured air hose or in leaking
joints of air hose.
Tests devised and made at the Board's Research Station at Buxton showed that when rubber patches and washers vibrate, as they readily do when air leaks pass, the internal friction m a y be sufficient to generate much heat.
Thus, a plain rubber patch bound over a punctured hose
carrying air at 40 lbs. pressure, some of which escaped
and caused the patch to vibrate, showed a rise of temperature at points of flexure of nearly 200°C. in less than
half a minute.
A composite canvas rubber washer (made from conveyor
belting) loosely gripped between the joint flanges of an
air pipe, vibrated strongly when the air pressure was raised
to 40 lbs. The washer began to char within half a minute,
and soon afterwards sparks were thrown off and a hole
was burnt through. The appearance of the burn corresponded closely with t h a t in a washer t h a t had become
heated in a mine; both appeared to have started near to
the exposed edge of the washer.
The "squealing" of the patch or joint and the smell of
burning rubber are warnings of a leak, but the danger can,
as the experiments have shown, develop very quickly.
In the case of points, trouble can be avoided by proper
fitting and by the use of non-flammable packing and
Effective Controls of Hazards in Welding, F l a m e
C u t t i n g a n d Metallizing.
By Arthur C. STERN.
{The Industrial Bulletin, New York, April and May
1944, p p . 145 and 176.)
The hazards involved in welding, flame cutting and allied
processes are discussed in some detail in this article. The
most serious dangers are from exposure to the radiant
energy and ultra-violet rays emanating from the arc, and
exposure to toxic gases and fumes produced by the arc
or the cutting flame. The author outlines various methods
of control, his general conclusions being t h a t by wearing
of proper protective clothing, goggles and helmets and
providing adequate ventilation, welding, cutting, and metallising can be undertaken in' industry without hazard to
the workmen involved.
X - R a y Exposure in M a n u f a c t u r e a n d Operation
of Certain Electronic T u b e s . By A. F . BTJSH, H. T.
CASTBERG, M.D.,
and
D . G. M A C P H E R S O N .
{Public
Health Reports, 11 August 1944, p. 1,045.)
I t has recently been discovered that the manufacture
and operation of high-vacuum electronic tubes present
a serious hazard in the way of exposure to X-Rays well
above the provisional tolerance dose of 0.1 roentgen per
day.
Once the hazard was recognised it was possible to
reduce the intensities below the provisional tolerance dose
by shielding the tubes with sheet lead and protecting the
cabinets in which they are housed with sheet steel and
lead glass.
111
REVIEW OP PERIODICALS
Prevenciôn d e accidentes e n aparatos elevadores.
By
Franco
GUITART
SEVILLA
and
José
SANTAELLA
SALAS. (Boletin de Seguridad e Higiene del Trabajo,
January-February 1944, p.. 3.)
In this illustrated article on lifts, t h e accident risks
are divided into three groups according as they affect the
users of t h e lifts, persons in the vicinity, or cleaners and
repair men.
Under t h e head of accidents to users, t h e authors deal
briefly with breaking and damaging of bearing and suspension gear, overspeeding, guides, overwinding, cage
doors and interlocks, overloading, etc. T h e other two
groups are concerned, inter alia, with the counterweights,
motors and pulleys.
Serious Accidents on Elevators. By Joseph P . DOOLEY.
(Safety, April 1944, p. 120.)
The particular hazards involved in the use and operation
of elevators are discussed in this article. T h e author urges
thorough investigation of every elevator accident and
warns against first impressions and hasty conclusions as to
causes. I t is emphasised t h a t the increased demand for the
use of elevators caused by wartime conditions absolutely
requires that close supervision and inspection be given in
order to detect any mechanical defects which might be a
potential accident hazard.
La Explosion d e Calderas, Ocasionada por Bajo
Nivel de Agua. By Ing. Federico ARGUS H. (Trabajo
y Prevision Social, Mexico, March 1944, p . 57.)
Boiler explosions caused by a "low water level" are discussed in some detail in this article. Lack of water or a
lowering of the water level is estimated to cause about 30
per cent, of all boiler explosions. T h e mechanical factors
resulting in this condition are described and several examples of actual boiler explosions caused by low water
levels are given.
The author recommends the adoption of various measures in order to avoid low water levels and also lists
certain precautions t o be taken if t h e water level does
become too low.
La Sécurité d a n s la Traction A u t o m o b i l e a u Gazogène. By Marcel VERTONGEN. (Revue du Travail,
Brussels, February 1944, p . 45.)
The increasing use of gasoline substitutes for automobile
traction in European countries has made it necessary to
investigate t h e hazards presented by t h e use of these
fuels. I n this article the author discusses certain requirements essential t o t h e safe traction of automobiles b y
producer gas.
The various parts of the producer gas installation, e.g.,
the generator, t h e cooler, the purifier, the mixer, and the
exhaust, are fully described.
There are three specific hazards involved in automobile
traction by this method. These are, risk of poisoning, risk
of explosion and risk of fire. They are dealt with separately
in some detail and methods of combating each are described. I t is pointed out that these risks become doubly
serious when the automobile is in a garage and protective
measures are recommended.
In conclusion the author suggests that all persons handling producer gas apparatus should be fully aware of the
dangers involved and t h a t t h e training of specialised
chauffeurs should always include the fundamentals of
safe operation.
A short bibliography on the subject is included.
Confined Spaces. By John M . TECHTON. (Safety Engineering, July 1944, p . 26.)
Fire, explosion and asphyxiation risks in t h e confined
spaces of ships are discussed in this article. Tank vessels
for liquid cargo such as crude oils, gasoline, benzine,
kerosene, etc., are considered t h e most dangerous. Other
danger spots are pump rooms, cofferdams, fuel-oil tanks,
paint lockers, chain lockers and storage rooms.
Typical cargo hazards are also mentioned and protective measures recommended.
Poisoning D u e t o Industrial Use of M e t h y l Bromide. By Harry HEIMANN, M . D . (The Industrial
Bulletin, New York, March 1944. p . 103.)
The composition of methyl bromide which is used industrially as a refrigerant, a fire extinguisher and an insecticide,
as well as the symptoms resulting from exposure to this
compound, are described in this article. A brief review of
literature on t h e toxicity of methyl bromide together with
five case reports of workers exposed to the chemical, is
included. Of the five cases quoted, one worker, who was
subjected to the longest exposure, died in coma following
convulsions while the remainder suffered from mild mental
or eye symptoms.
Engineering control, essentially by t h e installation of
adequate cooling apparatus and exhaust hoods is recommended for t h e elimination of exposure hazards.
Health Hazards i n M a n u f a c t u r e of Quartz Crystals
Used i n Radio C o m m u n i c a t i o n s .
B y Benjamin
FEINER
and Samuel
MOSKOWITZ.'
(The
Industrial
Bulletin, New York, March 1944, p . 105.)
As a result of the great increase in the fabrication of
quartz crystals for use in radio communications due to
the war, a survey was made to determine whether or
not the health of workers employed in this industry is
endangered by exposure to quartz (free silica) dust. T h e
inspection of six plants engaged in the fabrication of quartz
blocks showed t h a t since most of t h e operations where
quartz is cut and ground are carried out wet, dust production, the principal potential hazard, is held to a minimum. Adequate ventilation and good housekeeping were
found to have controlled the danger of exposure to hydrofluoric gas and cutting oils, both used in the processing
of quartz crystals.
Carbon Tetrachloride Still a M e n a c e .
By Frank
M. STEAD. (California Safety News, June 1944, p . 7.)
This brief article emphasises the dangers of exposure
to concentrations of carbon tetrachloride in t h e air of
workplaces and also of contact with t h e liquid solvent.
The author recommends a number of precautionary
measures to be taken in the use of carbon tetrachloride
and outlines a simple method of calculating the concentrations of the compound permissible in the air without risk
of poisoning.
Beryllium Oxide from Beryl—Health Hazards I n c i d e n t t o Extraction.
By Joseph. SHILEN, M.D.,
Director, A. E . GALLOWAY, Ph.D., Principal Chemist,
Joseph F . MELLOR, Jr., B.S., Industrial Hygiene Engineer, Bureau of Industrial Hygiene, Department of
Health, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
(Industrial
Medicine, June 1944, p . 464.)
The authors describe a study of the health hazards incidental to the manufacture of beryllium oxide and its
subsequent use in the production of copper-beryllium
alloys. They give an account of the plant in which the
study was undertaken and t h e various investigations
made, and discuss the principal hazard, namely, the presence of fluorine compounds. T h e results are summarised
in nine tables.
Their conclusions are as follows:
( 1 ) Nitrogen oxides are generated by large arc furnaces
and dangerous concentrations may be produced unless
removed by exhaust ventilation.
(2) Likewise, nitrogen oxides are generated in nitric
acid pickling vats and are liberated in dangerous concentrations.
(3) Any concentration which t h e ambiguous three
parts per million of hydrogen fluoride m a y represent,
and its equivalent as sodium fluoride, is too high. Three
parts per million of hydrogen fluoride are too high even
if the molecule were HiFj, b u t since we recognise the
molecule to be associated as Hn Fn below 90°C (194°F),
three parts per million of associated hydrogen fluoride
raise the toxic limit from one to an indefinite number
when calculated in terms of sodium fluoride.
112
(4) T h e sodium fluoride equivalent to the average of
all atmospheric fluorine determinations was 0.996
mg/m 3 , b u t a t t h e concentrations which gave this
average cases of respiratory ailments and dermatitis
reported in greatest number.
(5) To reduce absenteeism and large labour turnover,
and to prevent sickness, respiratory ailments and dermatitis, the concentration should be reduced to 0.2 mg,
or less, of sodium fluoride (or its equivalent of other
fluorides) per m 3 .
La Intoxicaciôn por M a n g a n e s o en Chile. By Drs. José
ANSOLA, Enrique U I B E B A L L and E d u a r d o E S C U D E R O .
(Revista Médica de Chile, March and April 1944, pp.
222-229 and 311-332.)
The authors of this study are the members of the Official
Medical Commission on t h e Investigation of Manganese
Poisoning, appointed in Chile with the object of ascertaining t h e causes of poisoning by manganese. This work is
of particular interest a t t h e present time since, owing to
the war, t h e production of this mineral has greatly increased on t h e American continent. There have been
records of manganese poisoning for the last hundred years,
but until t h e beginning of the present century, persons
suffering from t h e disease were seldom found, and no
study of t h e disease was undertaken. I n Chile, this type
of poisoning has become known only since 1942, and the
relatively high number of cases led to the appointment of
the Commission of Investigation. I n t h e course of its
work, this Commission ascertained t h a t manganese poisoning has only occurred in the "San J u a n " mine. A description is given of the prevalent atmospheric conditions and
of the methods of working in the mine. T h e results of pétrographie and chemical analyses made in the mine show that
the ore contains large quantities of pyrolusite or manganese
dioxide (MnC>2). This is of particular importance because
manganese dioxide pulverises into very fine particles
forming a highly dispersible dust capable of remaining in
the air for a long time. This, together with poor ventilation, has facilitated a higher percentage of poisoning in a
relatively shorter time than in cases investigated in other
countries. T h e authors also describe t h e symptoms of
poisoning; no case of death due to exposure t o manganese
was discovered.
The danger of psychoses due to manganese poisoning is
considered slight b u t it is believed t h a t t h e neurological
changes t h a t tend to persist in almost all cases result in
permanent disability.
An interesting bibliography on the subject appears a t
the end of t h e study.
Caustic Soda. Safety Practices i n H a n d l i n g .
C. W. R I P P I E a n d A. H . C O P E L A N D .
(Chemical
By
and
Engineering News, July 1944, p . 1164.)
These are specific safety recommendations for t h e
handling, transportation and use of caustic soda, each
form of soda being dealt with separately. Safety measures
in t h e handling of liquid caustic soda, i.e., precautions
to be taken with tank cars in loading, storage tanks, pipes,
pumps, and safe practices in t h e handling of flake and
solid soda are prescribed. Since caustic soda is very injurious whenever it makes contact with the skin, t h e importance of protective clothing such as cotton shirts and
pants, rubber aprons, gloves and boots, and goggles and
broad-brimmed hats is particularly emphasised.
Explosion d e Extinguidores Q u î m i c o s .
By Lieut.
Antonio Blanco LARRINAGA.
(Prevention de Accidentes, May 1944, p . 9.)
This is a brief account of various mechanical factors
causing the explosion of chemical fire extinguishers.
Methods of testing the casing of various types of extinguisher are described.
Factors which have occurred most frequently as causes
of explosion of fire extinguishers a r e :
(1) T h e use of chemicals or extinguishing materials,
other than those prescribed b y t h e manufacturer;
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Carelessness in refilling;
Defective screw threads;
Improper adjustment of caps;
Useless repairs instead of replacement by a new
extinguisher.
First-Aid T r e a t m e n t of B u r n s a n d Scalds.
B y Leo-
nard COLEBROOK, T h o m a s GIBSON, and J. P . T O D D .
(British
p. 99.)
Journal
of Industrial
Medicine,
April 1944,
The authors discuss the results of various research and
experimental work concerned mainly with the prevention
of streptococcus infection, b u t to some extent also with
the relief of pain.
They conclude that the avoidance of infection b y haemolytic streptococci should dominate first-aid policy
for all b u t very severe burns, in which case measures for
the preservation of life will often have to take precedence
over local treatment. They also declare that for severe
and extensive burns no first aid should be attempted other
than making the patient warm and giving morphine;
immediate removal to hospital is the first consideration.
Various recommendations are made for the treatment
of small burns.
2nd H a n d Safety. By A. O. BONIFACE.
neering, July 1944, p . 10.)
(Safety
Engi-
This is a distinct warning against t h e purchase or use
of second-hand safety equipment. I t is pointed out t h a t
the saving in money is usually far too small to compensate
for the risk of gambling with the health and life of workers.
The article concludes with the words: "Remember,
there is no such thing as second-hand accident prevention!"
T h e y Can be Guarded. By Jack F . HATTON.
Safety News, July 1944, p.'22.)
(National
This is a brief description of safeguards installed on
machinery in the sheet metal fabricating shops of an aircraft factory. Machinesequippedwith such guards include
square shears, hydraulic presses, punch presses, gears,
flywheels, belts, etc. The guarding of this machinery has,
in some cases, enabled t h e employment of totally blind
workers on otherwise dangerous jobs.
All i s n o t V a n i t y . B y Mildred W A U G H .
Safety News, July 1944, p . 18.)
(National
Under this appropriate title the woman worker's attitude
towards protective clothing, equipment, etc., is described.
Although most women in industry are interested in their
appearance, they can be persuaded to wear seemingly
unflattering clothes (caps, safety shoes, etc.) if the reason
for the necessity of doing so is explained to them. They
are also less likely than men to remove guards on m a chinery or to tamper with mechanical equipment unfamiliar to them.
The author believes that once safe practices are taught
to women and the reason for them is explained, they are
very willing to co-operate and cease to be a problem.
Analyzing t h e Accident Records a n d U s i n g t h e
R e s u l t s for M a n u f a c t u r i n g Industries. By George
F. NUERNBERGER.
(Occupational Hazards, January
1944, p . 18.)
This article shows the development of 'a Health and
Safety Division in a large manufacturing company, outlining in some detail t h e methods used for recording,
analysing, investigating and tabulating occupational accidents. T h e data obtained were found to be extremely
useful, not only in discovering the causes of accidents, b u t
in pointing to a correction of unsafe production procedures
and in educating the employee in safe work habits. T h e
article is accompanied by various illustrations of the forms
used in recording and investigating accidents.
Analysis of 1009 Consecutive Accident Cases a t One
Ordnance Depot. By James M A N N . (Industrial Medicine, May 1944, p. 368.)
The operations at the ordnance depot here under consideration consist in the storage and shipment of all kinds of
munitions and a variety of combat equipment. The principal risks of accidents are found in transshipment from
railroad cars to trucks and thence to storeplaces. The
personnel employed is almost entirely civilian and is drawn
from a predominantly rural area. The accident analysis
described by the author covers distribution by age and sex,
department, shift, day of week, type of injury, etc.
Accidents were found to have occurred to 59 per cent.
of the male workers and to 30 per cent, of the female.
Of all accidents 87 per cent, occurred on the job, 12.5
per cent, at home and 0.5 per cent, at places not recorded.
The general distribution by age group in rates per thousand was as follows: 17-21, 916; 21-28, 553; 28-35, 433;
35-45, 434; 45-60, 418; and over 60, 333. The relative
standing of males and females in various age groups can
be seen from table I.
TABLE I
Age
Male
accidents
Males
employed
Female
accidents
Females
employed
17-21
21-28
28-35
35-45
45-60
60 and over
i26
152
169
136
175
34
73
201
260
276
411
97
49
80
39
26
25
0
118
218
220
97
67
0
Table I I shows the accident rate expressed as a percentage of the male and female staff respectively in the
various age groups.
Age
17-21
21-28
28-35
35^5
45-60
60 and over
Numbers of reasons are also given for the high casualty
rate among the younger groups, both male and female.
These are lack of experience, carelessness, monotony of
work, and eagerness to get the job done quickly at all costs
to impress older employees.
I t is remarked that contrary to general experience, the
greatest number of accidents occurred in the hour before
lunch, and this is p u t down to the accumulation and accentuation of various factors that have been operating earlier
in the morning, especially increasing hunger and fatigue.
The good record of Monday is due to the effect of the
Sunday rest.
The author concludes t h a t the employment of women
need give rise to no fear that accidents will increase, t h a t
young people should as far as possible be confined to relatively safe jobs, t h a t consideration should be given to
making the hour given for lunch begin at 11 or 11.30 and
providing a 15-30 minute break at 3 p.m., and that one
day off each week is not only salvation for the employees
but also the best economy for the employer.
" R e h a b i l i t a t i o n " and t h e Safety Engineer. By C. P.
ANDERSON. (California Safely News, June 1944, p. 5.)
According to this article, the safety engineer's part in
the post-war programme will be to advise the proper
placement, from the standpoint of health and safety, of
disabled veterans and of war workers who have been
physically handicapped by industrial accidents. In order
to do this he should have access to the past and present
history of the employee from the point of view of physical
condition, extent of disability, etc., and of education and
training.
It is suggested t h a t all industrial safety engineers should
make a complete survey of the operations under their
direction to ascertain all hazards, mechanical, physical
and from the industrial disease standpoint, so that they
will have a complete analysis of the occupational risks in
their plant.
I n - P l a n t F e e d i n g Activity Brings
R e s u l t s at D i a m o n d C h a i n Factory.
Hazards, August 1944, p. 26.)'
TABLE II
Male
Female
172
75
65
50
42
35
41
36
17
26
37
5
I t is noteworthy that there were nearly two accidents
for every male in the group 17-21.
The hours of the day with the most frequent accidents
were from 11 a.m. to 12 noon with 9.8 per cent., and 5 to 6
p.m. with 9.3 per cent. Most of the employees work six
days a week, ten hours a day, beginning at 7 a.m. and
ending a t 6 p.m., with 12 noon to 1 p.m. as the lunch hour.
The best day of the working week was Monday with 14
per cent, of the total accidents and the worst Tuesday and
Thursday with 17 per cent. each.
The reasons for which women are less prone to accidents
than men are given as follows:
1. As a group, women are more meticulous and fastidious in the performance of a job than are men.
2. Women fear the consequences of an accident to a
greater degree, and hence comply more strictly with existing safety regulations.
3. Women working with men on an equal basis as to
types of work, hours and rates of pay are eager to prove
that equality, and again will abide by all depot regulations
more strictly.
4. T h a t women adapt themselves more readily to routine, even monotonous work, has been long established.
This adaptation is, in itself, a safety factor.
5. Accidents due to carelessness resulting from "showing-off" and boasting, a not unusual condition among men,
are not likely to occur with women.
113
Remarkable
(Occupational
A reduction of 42 per cent, in the accident rate is attributed by a chain and gear manufacturing company to
improvements in its canteen services. These improvements consisted in providing adequate, well-balanced and
attractively served meals, re-equipping and modernising
the cafeteria, training the staff, providing mobile canteens,
catering for persons requiring special diets and giving
instructions in the rudiments of nutrition.
The management considers that the cost has been
repaid many times over by the reduction in absenteeism
and accidents and the improved efficiency and happiness
of well fed workers.
Psychiatry in Industrial Accidents. By Lowell S.
SELLING, M.D., Ph.D., Dr. P.H., Detroit, Michigan.
(Industrial Medicine, June 1944, p. 504.)
By way of introduction the author remarks that although many excellent techniques have been devised to
segregate, locate and train employees in industry, most
plants have progressed very little in their psychological
practices in accident prevention during the last thirty
years. During this period industrial medicine has made
considerable strides but medical departments do not as
a rule appear to be greatly interested in the psychological
causes of accidents.
Various factors in accident proneness are enumerated in
the following terms:
First, there is a relationship between nutrition and
industrial accidents. In the Detroit area, we have
plants t h a t have tried providing a high-caloric midmorning and mid-afternoon snack. There has been some
improvement in their accident record. We do not yet
know whether the snack was the sole cause, but observations in the field of industrial nutrition seem to point
out t h a t the hungry and undernourished workmen are
more accident prone.
114
Second, there seems to be an emotional protest
against mechanical safety appliances. This not onlyholds particularly true on piece-work jobs where the
number of pieces produced is found not to be as great
where safety appliances are used, and a protected
machine is run with the guards off, but it is just as
true in plants t h a t are routinely operated on a daily
wage basis. There is a connection between absenteeism,
frequent job changes, and accidents. The individuals
are chronically protesting and the protest makes itself
known in one of these three ways. Poor lighting and
excessive noise are evidently responsible for some
accident proneness, particularly among those with
defective vision or hearing.
The most important reason for accident proneness,
according to certain surveys, including our own experience with traffic offenders, is faulty attitude. Given a
man who has poor eyesight or inferior hearing, and put
him at a machine where he will have to work hard and
where there may be perhaps no adequate protection
for him, and he won't have accidents if he has the
attitude that he is going to do his best to prevent them.
The individual causes for accident proneness seem
to be, first, physical inadequacy, particularly in the
special senses; second, psychophysical inadequacy;
third, mental deficiency and neuroses; fourth, preoccupation with other problems; fifth, dissatisfaction
with a part or the whole of the plant's set-up; and
sixth, a bad safety attitude which may include recklessness, indifference, or antagonism to law and order.
The individual causes are discussed at some length.
The author concludes by drawing attention to the increased importance t h a t industrial psychology will assume
in the post-war period when large numbers of men, some
of whom will be mentally and physically handicapped,
will be returning to industry from the armed forces.
T h e A m a z i n g Story of Picatinny Arsenal. By Colonel
W. E . LARNED. (Safety, June 1944, p. 162, and July
1944, p. 188.)
This interesting, illustrated article tells the story of
the remarkable accident record achieved by the Picatinny
Arsenal, the United States Army's centre for research
and development in ammunition as well as a large explosives manufacturing plant.
In spite of an increase in personnel from 1,800 to 18,000
in the past three years, the accident frequency rate {i.e.,
the number of accidents per million manhours worked)
fell from 25.7 in 1940 to 4.04 in 1943. The severity rate
or the number of days lost per thousand man-hours worked
also was reduced from 1.98 in 1940 to 0.40 in 1942 and
stood at 0.75 in 1943.
The article describes in some detail the very highly
co-ordinated safety organisation operating in the plant.
Apart from the many routine protective measures in
effect, safety committee meetings are held weekly in every
area of the arsenal and a manual issued by the Army
Ordnance Corps, giving detailed regulations concerning
the manufacture, storage, loading and handling of military
pyrotechnics is used as a guide by the Safety Department.
Specific examples are given of the precautions taken in
the testing of high explosives and against fire. Special
requirements are enforced in the case of workers exposed
to toxic chemicals and explosives.
The Arsenal's success in achieving safe production is
evident not only from the fact t h a t accident frequency and
severity rates have been sharply reduced at the time of
the plant's greatest expansion, but also from the fact that
only one employee has been killed by explosion since
1940.
Aufgaben u n d Wirkungskreis der S i c h e r h e i t s i n g e nieure i m Kriege. By Oberregierungs-und-gewerberat
Dipl.-Ing. FOLKHARD, Graz.
{Reichmrbeitsblaü, 25
March 1944, p. I l l 32.)
In this article on the tasks and field of activity of the
safety engineer in wartime, the author explains how accident prevention fits into the national war effort, and examines the relationship between the safety engineer and
all other factory and inspection officials responsible for
safety and protection.
Although at times everything has to be subordinated to
military needs and exceptional demands may be made
upon the factories, as a rule the principles of safety and
protection will be the same in war as in'peace, and in the
long run it will not pay to reduce the accident prevention
effort. Indeed, labour is so precious in wartime that if
anything this effort should be increased.
Quite apart from these considerations the field of safety
has greatly expanded.
Formerly, the safety engineer
had to concern himself only with the direct prevention
of accidents and industrial diseases. Now, safety is taken
to include hours of work, rest, the training of juveniles,
technical training of all kinds of workers, teamwork,
ventilation, heating, sanitation and welfare.
Thus in wartime the safety engineer carries very heavy
responsibilities and he must accordingly possess exceptional qualifications. In the first place, he must be able
to reconcile any conflicting interests of production and
safety, and secondly, he must co-operate successfully with
management, foremen, workers, factory committees and
public authorities without yielding on essential points.
The field of co-operation may be very wide. Some of
the larger factories have doctors, employment engineers
and technical instructors and practically all have labour
trustees and safety stewards. Outside the factory, but
closely interested in it, are the factory inspectors, the inspectors of the Mutual Accident Insurance Associations
and the inspectors of the Technical Supervision Associations.
The safety engineer has a special part to play in the
planning of new works. Taking him into consultation in
good time will save much money, labour and trouble
later, for it is much cheaper to provide for safety in the
plans than to try to fit it in when the works are finished.
RECENT BOOKS
115
RECENT BOOKS
La Seguridad Industrial.
By Isidro R u i s SINTES.
Publication of the Social School of Barcelona, Series A,
Pamphlets on Economic and Social Studies, Vol. I X .
Bosch Publishing House, Barcelona, 1942. 125 pp.
This book contains an introduction and 12 chapters.
In order to give an idea of the number of accidents occurring in industry, the author points out in the introduction
that during the war of 1914-1918 the number of British
soldiers wounded was 1,693,262, while the number of
British workers injured from 1920 to 1924, also a fouryear period, totalled 2,385,760.
The author warns against the dangers of the motto
"Safety first", fearing t h a t an exaggerated application
of it might lead to "the formation of generations of cowards".
In Chapter I occupational accidents and diseases are
defined. Chapter II, on industrial hygiene, gives brief
descriptions of certain occupational diseases such as
pneumoconioses and other diseases caused by dusts,
poisoning by mercury, phosphorus, carbon dioxide,
carbon sulphide, sulphuric acid, and by various gases,
vapours, etc., as well as of occupational diseases caused by
infections of various types and classes.
The third chapter deals with accident and fire prevention, indicates methods of avoiding hazards in industrial
plants, and shows the requirements to be satisfied by
safety devices.
Chapters IV to VI deal with the human factor, both in
its individual and its collective form, as well as occupational guidance and selection with respect to accident
prevention.
Examples of various accidents make up Chapter VII.
Since prevention can never succeed in removing the
possibility of unfortunate contingencies, the careful study
of each of these will serve as experience and give ideas as
to the prevention of accidents.
Chapters V I I I contains advice and rules of general
interest, but directed mainly to workers.
Safety propaganda is the subject of Chapter IX, which
emphasises the importance of careful organisation of
poster competitions, conferences, museums and exhibitions, "safety weeks", etc.
In Chapter X the author deals with general health and
engineering problems arising in workplaces, including
ventilation, natural and artificial lighting, the situation of
buildings, the placing of machines, cleanliness, vibrations
and noise.
Industrial organisation and safety on the job or, in
other words, the division of work into different processes
and its effects on the worker, standardisation and its
advantages, are dealt with in Chapter X I . Chapter X I I
is devoted to medical service and first aid. in workplaces.
The author seems to have based his work chiefly on
pre-war publications, possibly because he did not have
access to those that have appeared in various countries
since the outbreak of hostilities. Consequently, very
little reference is made to the results obtained in safety
matters during the last few years. Nevertheless, this book
considerably enriches the literature on safety, so scarce
in the Spanish language. Persons concerned with industrial
safety have here a new source of information and suggestions of interest.
T h e Australian F o u n d r y : Working Conditions and
How t o Improve T h e m . Commonwealth of Australia,
Department of Labour and National Service, Industrial Welfare Division. Bulletin No. 3 1944. 39 pp.
This pamphlet has been prepared as a result of a survey
of Australian foundries undertaken in 1942 by the Industrial Welfare Division of the Department of Labour
and National Service. 1
There are three main groups of recommendations relating respectively to plant and equipment, dust control and
welfare.
Under the heading of plant and equipment, the pamphlet
deals with ventilation, core rooms, the moulding floor,
furnace areas, ladles and heating kettles, grinding wheels,
guarding of machines, cranes, hoists and lifting tackle,
storage of equipment, and equipment for protection and
easy handling.
The section on dust control is concerned with permissible
limits of dust concentration, local exhaust ventilation,
general ventilation, wet methods of dust control, housekeeping and recommendations for particular processes
such as moulding, shaking out, abrasive blasting, rumbling,
grinding and chipping.
The pamphlet is concise, clearly arranged and well
illustrated. I t should prove very useful to all responsible
for health and safety in foundries.
M e m o r a n d u m o n Precautions in t h e Use of N i t r a t e
Salt B a t h s . Factory Department, Ministry of Labour
and National Service, Form 848. Published by H. M.
Stationery Office, London, 1944. 14 pp.
In the light of recent experience the Factory Department has revised a memorandum issued in 1939 on the
dangers associated with the use of molten nitrates in tha
heat treatment of metals, and the precautions to be observed.
The principal hazards to be considered are:
Explosion,
Fire,
Gassing with nitrous fumes (oxides of nitrogen)
from decomposed nitrate or nitrite, and
Burns resulting from contact witht he molten salts.
The causes of most nitrate bath accidents can be
classified as follows:
I. Physical, e.g.,
(1) Explosive generation of steam when water meets
molten nitrate.
(2) Violent expansion of air trapped in closed objects
immersed in the hot salt.
II. Chemical, e.g.,
(1) Reaction of molten nitrate with free or chemically
combined carbon.
(2) Reaction between molten nitrate and metals.
(3) Evolution of poisonous nitrous fumes (oxides of
nitrogen) from decomposing nitrate or nitrite.
These various causes are discussed a t length and the
appropriate precautions indicated. The metals especially
in question are aluminium and aluminium alloys containing magnesium.
Whenever any type of aluminium alloy is heat treated
and a nitrate bath is used the following precautions are of
fundamental importance:
(a) Sludge and metal articles should not be allowed to
collect on the bottom of the bath.
(6) Effective control of temperature must be ensured
all the time the bath is hot, whether it is in service
or not.
> Industrial Safety Survey, Volume XX, No. 2, p. 62.
116
(c) The bath should be kept under close observation
by properly instructed and competent persons at
all times when it is being supplied with heat.
Twelve other precautions are briefly described.
An appendix sets out the precautions recommended for
electrical heating equipment used in connection with the
nitrate salt baths; and another describes suitable methods
of emptying baths.
The results of explosions of baths are shown in photographs.
Possible Hazards A t t e n d i n g t h e Use of E n g i n e s
Operated o n B u t a n e Fuel i n M i n i n g a n d T u n n e l l i n g . U.S. Bureau of Mines. Information Circular 7284,
May 1944. 6 pp.
The authors discuss the properties of butane fuel in
comparison with gasoline, and declare against the use of
internal combustion engines operated on butane fuel in
underground operations such as mining and tunnelling.
Their reasons include the following:
The fire and explosion hazard t h a t might result from
the escape of butane fuel into the air of underground
working places is considered somewhat greater t h a n
t h a t of gasoline because of the greater volatility of
butane fuel and the fact t h a t a given weight of this fuel
will create a larger volume of inflammable gas-air
mixture than will the same weight of gasoline.
While it may be possible to operate butane engines
with production of little carbon monoxide, such operation is not an inherent characteristic of butane engines,
and can be realised only by careful adjustment of the
engines. Some samples of butane-engine exhaust gas
analysed by the Bureau of Mines have contained carbon
monoxide in concentrations equal to, or possibly greater
than, those produced by the average gasoline engine.
Even though a butane engine was adjusted and
operated in a manner t h a t minimised production of
carbon monoxide, the exhaust might contain oxides of
nitrogen in sufficient quantity to cause significant contamination of the air of underground working places.
Defects Frequently F o u n d in Supports a t Faces.
Ministry of Fuel and Power. Safety Pamphlet No. 10.
Published by H. M. Stationery Office, London, 1944.
7 pp.
Three Scottish advisory committees consisting of representatives of owners, managers, firemen and workmen
together with the divisional inspector of mines and a
special inspector have been considering how best to reduce
accidents caused by falls of ground a t working faces. In
the present pamphlet they set out their recommendations,
which relate to sprags, props, chocks and packs. Illustrations show some correct and incorrect methods of placing
supports.
Roadhead Supports. Ministry of Fuel and Power.
Safety Pamphlet No. 11. Published by H . M . Stationery
Office, London, 1944. 8 pp.
In a further memorandum the Scottish Advisory Committees on Falls of Ground briefly explore the risks of falls
of ground at roadheads and make recommendations,
illustrated by drawings, concerning methods of support.
Emphasis is laid on the value of good roof control.
Safety Blasting Practices in a New York Quarry.
U.S. Bureau of Mines, Report of Investigations 3752.
May 1944. 9 pp.
Describes with illustrations the safety measures adopted
in a quarry belonging to the New York Trap Rock Corporation. The matters dealt with include storage and transCortation of explosives, primary blasting, secondary
lasting and company safety organisation.
Inflammability and Explosibility of Powders Used
in t h e Plastics I n d u s t r y . U.S. Bureau of Mines,
Report of Investigations 3751. May 1944. 38 pp.
Continuing its investigations into the explosibility of
powders, the U.S. Bureau of Mines has turned its attention to resins, moulding compounds, fillers, etc., used in
the manufacture of plastics. The present report describes
the test procedure and equipment, and the results obtained,
and classifies the powders according to flammability and
explosibility.
Among the conclusions reached are the following:
(a) Dust clouds of all except three of the 57 powder
samples ignited and propagated flame when brought in
contact with a heated surface. The three exceptions are
powdered asbestos, asbestine, and mica, which are used
as fillers in some moulding compounds. These are incombustible materials. The wall temperature required
in a heated furnace to ignite the dust clouds ranges from
320° to 900°C (610° to 1,650°F.).
(b) Dust clouds of all except 7 of the 57 powders
ignited by electric sparks. The exceptions were asbestos,
asbestine, mica, chlorinated paraffin, and certain vinyl
compounds. Dust clouds of most powders could be
ignited readily by static sparks of very small energy,
of the order of a few hundredths of a joule.
(c) The minimum explosive concentration (lower
explosive limit) of dispersions or clouds of the powders
in air needed to permit ignition by a high-voltage, lowenergy electric spark ranges from 0.015 to 0.175 ounce
per cubic foot.
(d) Most powders are more sensitive to ignition by
hot surfaces than by electric sparks.
(e) Many powders develop pressures exceeding 60
pounds per square inch and the maximum rates of
pressure rise in several explosions exceeding 2,500
pounds per square inch per second. This shows t h a t
under certain conditions dust explosions of the materials investigated m a y cause widespread destruction.
(/) The concentration of a dust cloud in air has an
important influence on the maximum pressure and rate
of pressure rise in a dust explosion.
(g) The hazard increases with the fineness of the
dust.
(£) The ignition and flame propagation of dust
clouds of all powders tested can be prevented within
grinding mills, screens, and other closed equipment by
using gas of low oxygen concentration. The maximum
allowable oxygen limits in the atmosphere containing
the dust range from 5 to 15 per cent, if protection is
desired against ignition by hot surfaces, such as overheated bearings, fused or glowing masses of powder,
or other direct heat sources. For protection against
ignition by electric sparks, somewhat higher concentrations of oxygen (ranging from 11.5 to 19 per cent.)
are permissible.
There are several photographs, charts and data tables.
Explosions in M e d i u m - P r e s s u r e Acetylene Generators.
U.S. Bureau of Mines, Report of Investigations 3755. May 1944. 20 pp.
This report gives preliminary results of field and laboratory investigations made at the request of the War Production Board into causes of recent explosions in acetylene
generator plants a t Pacific coast shipyards. I t discusses
the quality of carbide and the acetylene generators involved in explosions and describes in detail laboratory
investigations relating, inter alia, to the explosibility of
acetylene made from different carbides, the effect of
water vapour on the explosibility of acetylene, the
effect of pressure on the upper explosive limit of acetyleneair mixtures, the ignition temperature of acetylene-air
mixtures, and heating due to the decomposition of acetylene.
RECENT BOOKS
In their conclusions, the investigators point out t h a t
some of the carbides supplied were impure, and that the
carbides involved in the explosions seemed to have been
unsuitable for the types of generators used.
They make the following recommendations:
(1) Cancel the 1938 amendment to Federal specifications covering quarter- or pea-size carbide and designate
the size requirements by the following specifications:
Pass
cent.
Pass
cent.
Pass
cent.
Pass
cent.
through a 0.312-inch sieve; minimum, 100 per
through a 0.265-inch sieve; minimum, 98 per
through a 0.0937-inch sieve; maximum, 25 per
through a 0.0661-inch sieve; maximum, 3 per
(2) The Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., should
make approval tests on the 500-pound double-rated
generators involved in the explosions, using carbide
complying with the above specifications to determine
their safety of operation.
(3) Five-hundred-pound
double-rated
generators
should be so operated t h a t the time for the generation
of the charge is not less than 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The generator-water temperature should not exceed
150°F.
All pea- or quarter-size carbide should be passed
through a 0.75-inch screen by the generator operators
before the carbide is introduced into the generator
hoppers to aid in eliminating trash and oversized carbide now prevalent in carbide.
The use of second-hand 100-pound drums for the
shipment of carbide should be discontinued at once.
Acetylene generators should be dismantled and
cleaned throughly at least once each month. Gauges
and clock mechanisms should be inspected and checked
when the generators are dismantled.
The shipyards involved should make or have made
routine chemical analyses and physical tests of the
carbide received and used in the generators to ensure to
the operating personnel and management that a satisfactory carbide free of foreign material, which meets
the proposed specifications as to screen analysis and
which complies with present Federal specifications as
to phosphine content and gas yield per pound of carbide, is being furnished.
If the above proposed recommendations do not solve
the problem of explosions, the acetylene generator
lants should be redesigned to operate at pressures
elow 5-pounds gauge, storing the generated acetylene
in low-pressure gas holders and recompressing the
acetylene to the desired line pressure.
C
T h e Safe I n s t a l l a t i o n and Use of Abrasive Wheels.
International Labour Office," Montreal, 1944. 175 pp.
The Safe Installation and Use of Abrasive Wheels is the
ninth in the series of monographs on industrial safety
subjects issued by the International Labour Office.
The first draft prepared by Mr. G. STEVENSON TAYLOB,
Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, London, was exhaustively discussed by the International Labour Office
Correspondence Committee on Accident Prevention before
the war. In the early stages of the war, work on the monograph had to be suspended, and it was only after a long
interval that Mr. Stevenson Taylor found time to undertake the final revision of the manuscript. The volume
has been completed by the International Labour Office
with the help of other members of the Committee on
Accident Prevention, and outside experts. The delay
due to the war has had its advantages, since it has permitted the inclusion of much new material, and in particular the latest revision of the American Standard
Safety Code for the Use, Care and Protection of Abrasive
Wheels.
The monograph is in two parts. Part I has chapters
on the composition and manufacture of abrasive wheels;
accidents and injuries caused by abrasive wheels; safety
117
precautions against accidents caused by bursting of wheels;
protection against other accidents; and the prevention
of dust inhalation. The final chapter summarises the main
precautions recommended; these are grouped under the
following heads: examination and storage, selection,
mounting, speeds, care in use, guards for wheels, other
guards, eye protection, dust and maintenance. Annexed
to Part I are two technical papers, the first by Dr. Vitaliano
COLOMBO on the "Analytical and Experimental Study of
the Conditions of Resistance of Abrasive Wheels"; and the
second by Thorn. H. FROST, Cambridge, Mass., and K . F .
WHITOOMB, Worcester, Mass. on "The Stresses in Rotating
Disks".
Part I I reproduces American, British and German
Safety Codes and Regulations relating to abrasive wheels.
There are very numerous photographs, drawings, charts
and data tables.
Analytical C h e m i s t r y of Industrial Poisons. Hazards
and Solvents.
By Morris B . JACOBS, P h . D . Interscience Publishers, Inc., New York, xviii + 661 pp.
This substantial volume is divided into nineteen chapters of which six deal with general matters such as sampling, measurement of gas volume and quantity, absorbers
and absorbents, the chemical and microscopic estimation
of dust, and general methods for the determination of
combustible and solvent vapours. The remaining chapters
deal with specific groups of substances comprising: silica;
dangerous and harmful metals; common poisonous compounds of sulphur, phosphorus, and nitrogen; oxygen
a n d . ozone; the common poisonous compounds of the
halogens; carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocyanic
acid and cyanogen; paraffin and unsaturated aliphatic
hydrocarbons; benzene and the aromatic hydrocarbons;
halogenated hydrocarbons; alcohols, glycols and alcohol
ethers, and ethers; acids, esters, aldehydes and ketones;
phenolic compounds, aniline and derivatives; and chemical
warfare agents.
There are 110 photographs and drawings, several d a t a
tables and reference lists and also detailed author and
subject indexes.
Mr. Jacobs has succeeded in presenting an enormous
amount of information in a very clear arrangement.
Apparatus for D e t e r m i n i n g M i n i m u m Energies for
Electric-Spark Ignition of F l a m m a b l e Gases
and Vapors. U.S. Bureau of Mines, Report of Investigations 3753. May 1944. 16 pp.
After enumerating several points in connection with
spark ignitions on which more knowledge is required, the
report describes, with illustrations, the construction and
operation of an apparatus for determining the energies
required for electric-spark ignition of a wide variety of
explosive mixtures of gases and vapours.
N a t i o n a l Fire Codes for Building Construction
and E q u i p m e n t . Published by National Fire Protection Association, International. Boston, Mass., 1944.
512 pp.
The most recent volume of National Fire Codes is composed of a large variety of recommendations and suggestions for fire prevention regulations and practices. The
volume is divided into eight parts as follows: I. Life
Safety from Fire (building exits code); I I . Restricting
Spread of Fire (protection of openings in walls, protection against fire exposure, structural defects); I I I . Chimneys and Smoke Pipes; IV. Building Equipment (blower
and exhaust systems, air conditioning systems, protection
against lightning); V. Building Details (waterproofing of
floors, drainage, roof openings, roof coverings, etc.); VI.
Occupancy Standards (includes farms, garages, electric
railway car houses and cars, piers and wharves, storage
of combustible fibres, vaults and general storage); VII.
Construction Operations (building construction, bridges,
tunnels, subways); V I I I . Fire Tests.
All the texts are the work of expert committees and some
have been adopted as American standards.
118
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY SUHVEY
Safety Subjects. U.S. Department of Labor, Division
of Labor Standards, Bulletin No. 67. Washington,
January 1944. 152 pp.
The chief aim of this volume is to provide basic information for factory inspectors, works supervisors, workers' delegates and others having responsibilities for industrial safety. I t is divided into twenty-five concise
chapters, discussing the whys and wherefores of the safety
movement, the general organisation of safety in industrial
plants, and various specific risks such as those entailed
by handling material and tools, electricity, machinery
and flammable and explosive substances.
The volume is packed with useful information and is an
excellent introduction to industrial safety.
Failure of Supervision as Related t o t h e Causes
of A c c i d e n t s . Army Service Forces, Office of the
Chief of Engineers, Safety and Accident Prevention
Branch. Washington, 1 March 1944. 8 pp.
This is a detailed study of 17,869 lost-time accidents
on work under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Corps of Engineers and was undertaken in order to determine the
extent of supervision failure and its relation to accident
causes. The correlation between various types of failure
and accident frequency is shown in the following table:
Supervision failure
Failed to enforce safety regulations
Failed to inspect for hazards
Gave insufficient instructions
Assigned employee to improper job.
Assumed improper attitude
Total
No supervision failure indicated. . .
Grand total
Number
of
cases
Per cent.
of
total
5,219
3,853
3,673
239
60
13,044
4,825
29.21
21.56
20.56
1.34
0.34
73.01
26.99
17,869 100.00
In the order of their frequency the specific requirements
most often violated concern the "Storing of materials and
disposal of waste", 23 per cent.; "Use of protective equipment", 21 per cent.; "Machinery and mechanised equipment", 18 per cent.; "Ramps, runways, platforms and
scaffolds", 10 per cent., and "Transporting project personnel", 6 per cent. These five groups accounted for 78
per cent, of the injuries and 74 per cent, of the lost time.
There are numerous other statistical tables giving the
distribution of accidents by severity, occupation and
safety requirement.
Yrkessjukdomar. By John NOUDIN.
Published by
Almqvist & Wiksell, Uppsala, 1943. 785 pp.
This excellent handbook on occupational diseases is a
most fitting continuation of the series of handbooks on
matters of social insurance and labour protection prepared
by the chairman of the Swedish Labour Council with the
assistance of outstanding specialists and experts, the distribution of which has reached very considerable proportions thanks, inter alia, to the active interest taken in
them by the Confederation of Trade Unions and the
Swedish Employers' Federation.
The book begins with a chapter containing general information on Swedish legislation governing compensation for occupational diseases. Subsequent chapters deal
in considerable detail with the various substances, etc.,
referred to in the Workmen's Compensation Act, describing the different diseases caused by them, the measures to
be taken in order to prevent these diseases, the methods
of treatment and the industries in which the various
diseases normally occur. These data, based to a large
extent on the material and experience of other countries,
have been revised by Swedish experts.
For each group of substances, etc., the book gives
detailed indications as to the situation in respect of compensation under Swedish law and legal practice.
The book also contains statistical data concerning occupational diseases compensable under the Swedish Workmen's Compensation Act, together with a survey of the
international regulations governing compensation for,
and prevention of, occupational diseases.
I t concludes with a historical review of industrial diseases
and a survey of the legislation on insurance against occupational diseases in various countries.
Industrial O p h t h a l m o l o g y .
By Hedwig S. K U H N ,
M.D. The C. V. Mosby Co., St. Louis, 1944. 294 pp.
Illustrated.
The visual problems presented by modern industry are
so numerous, diverse, and special that they constitute a
separate field of ophthalmology. The contacts of the
ophthalmologist with industry are of two types: as consultant to specific industries, or as oculist practising in
an industrial community. I n neither are the visual problems confronting the ophthalmologist simply those of
prescribing the correct glasses for ordinary use. Very
often specific kinds of jobs require special visual skills.
These skills may demand sharp visual acuity not only
at some specific distance, but also at distances varying
from a few inches to hundreds of feet. Some occupations
require a high rating in colour discrimination; others
require stereopsis or depth perception, etc. Thus the industrial ophthalmologist must have an understanding of
all problems relating to efficient vision in all phases of
production; he must be able to correct defective vision;
he must have a thorough knowledge of services and appliances for the prevention of accidents to eyes, and he
must understand the proper placement of individuals in
jobs suitable to their visual abilities.
This book, the first comprehensive treatise on industrial
ophthalmology in American medical literature, is certainly
an excellent guide not only for general practitioners but
also for ophthalmologists. The author devises an eye
programme for industry, and discusses this important
matter from different angles, in the light of her profound
experience as an industrial ophthalmologist.
The first chapter deals with the problems of visual
testing in industry. The ophthalmologist must be able
to conduct a visual job analysis, which is the process
whereby the component parts of a given job are related
directly to the individual visual skills involved in the
performance of that job. This requires special training
for the physician who must thoroughly understand the
mechanical processes in a given industry. Visual testing
in industry falls into three groups, namely, pre-employment or rather pre-plaeement tests; periodic fechecks,
and general surveys. The technique of examinations,
tests, etc., is described and discussed.
The next chapter deals with the correction of visual
defects for jobs. Here, the most important problem confronting the ophthalmologist is to conceive a refraction
correctly and to write a correct prescription for the job.
The third chapter discusses visual skills, e.g., inspection work which requires excellence of close vision (search
for defects on surfaces, differences and discrepancies of
size, slight alterations in colour, etc.); visual standards
and job classifications are also discussed.
Then follows an excellent chapter on industrial eye injuries caused by solid bodies. This chapter is written by
Dr. A. C. SNBLL, an outstanding authority in the field.
I t deals with the diagnosis and therapy of all kinds of eye
injuries.
The fifth chapter, on eye protection, discusses all types
of goggles.
A programme of eye protection follows.
Medico-legal considerations with reference to eye accidents
conclude this chapter.
The sixth chapter is devoted to recent developments
as related to industrial eye problems. The problems of
radiation (ultra-violet rays, infra-red rays) are discussed,
RECENT BOOKS
and welding processes fully described. Consideration is
also given to the important question of treating and preventing epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, one of the three
main causes of industrial lost time due to eye injuries.
Special attention is paid to the question of employment
of blind persons in industry.
In an appendix, toxic hazards affecting the eye are indicated in a table of substances and their effects. The
volume concludes with a standard method for the appraisal
of loss of visual efficiency approved by the Section on
Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association.
There are over 100 illustrations, mostly photographs.
Dr. Karl GOTTLIEB.
M e m o r a n d u m on Medical Supervision in Factories.
Factory Department, Ministry of Labour and National
Service. Form 327. Published by H.M. Stationery
Office, London, 1944. 8 pp.
Here the Factory Department discusses the purposes
served by factory medical services and the status and functions of the works medical officer or factory doctor.
The principal duties of a works medical officer are
enumerated as follows:
(1) To be responsible for the organisation and supervision of first-aid services for the treatment of injury
and sickness. The medical officer would not undertake
any treatment at the home, and would only give continued treatment at the works with the acquiescence
of the patient's panel practitioner.
(2) To examine medically and advise persons referred
to him by, or through, the labour manager or individual
employees who consult him, and to carry out the medical
examination of persons about to be employed in processes involving a specific health hazard.
119
(3) T o take suitable means to assure himself of the
fitness or otherwise of persons returning to work after
illness.
(4) To advise the management on matters of general
hygiene within the factory.
(5) To co-operate with the management and with
outside welfare authorities on all matters affecting the
health of the workpeople.
(6) To create and maintain an effective liaison with
outside health services, e.g., medical practitioners,
hospital services and local authorities.
(7) To keep, in confidential form, adequate and
suitable records of his work.
(8) To promote the education of the workpeople,
collectively and individually, in matters of general and
personal hygiene.
(9) To assist, in his professional capacity, in the
A.R.P. services of the factory and in the training of
A.R.P. personnel.
The memorandum deals more particularly with medical
examination, studies of working conditions, first aid,
nursing, medical records and educational activities.
I t does not consider the value of medical services from
the accident-prevention standpoint.
C h e m i s t r y and C a n c e r . By J. W. COOK, D . S c , F . R. S.
Published by the Royal Institute of Chemistry of
Great Britain and Ireland, 1943. 36 pp.
While concerned with cancer in general and not industrial cancer as such, this lecture marshals all the evidence
so far available in regard to the chemical side of cancer
research, and is therefore a valuable document for research into industrial cancer also.
120
INDUSTHIAL SAFETY SURVEY
NEW POSTERS
Ï
vt
n^piröladeHö^
Ty.y
T h e safety of yesterday inspired t h a t of today.
Use this inspiration and remember t h a t
safety is necessary in every age.
(Argentine Safety Institute, Buenos Aires.)
(Issued by the Ministry of Labour and National Service and
produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Accidents, London.)
(U.S. Department of Labor, Division of Labor Standards,
Washington, D.C.)
OGJDUSÏÏIIIÂIL
SÂFïIY
SURVEY
MOES SIGNÖDE
HÖMERiA
KOMETER IMPRUDENCI AS
VOLUME XX, No. 4
OCTOBBB-DECEMBEB 1944
Annual Subscription: 6s.; $1.60
Mm
SEORETARIA DELTOABAJOY PREVISION SOCIAL
Rashness is no sign of manliness.
(Ministryfpf Labour and Social Welfare, Mexico.)
CONTENTS
Pak'e
T h e N a t i o n a l Safety Council. By Ned H. DEARBORN, President
121
Safety I n s t i t u t i o n s , Associations and M u s e u m s .
INTERNATIONAL: International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions, 1943 Convention,
Harrisburg, P a
135
ARGENTINA: A New Safety Magazine
Argentine Safety Institute
AUSTRALIA: The National Safety Council of Australia in 1943
135
135
'
135
G R E A T B R I T A I N : National Joint Industrial Council for the Flour Milling Industry. Twenty-fifth Annual Report,
1943-1944
13G
S P A I N : National Institute of Industrial Medicine, Health and Safety
U N I T E D STATES OF AMERICA: National Safety Council. The Thirty-third National Safety Congress
130
.
.
.
. 137
Laws and Regulations, Safety Codes.
ARGENTINA: Decree No. 13671/44 respecting the Classification of Mechanical Cleaning and Dressing of Carpets
as Work Dangerous to the Health. Dated 30 May 1944
138
AUSTRALIA (New South Wales) : Lacquering Regulations. Gazetted 30 June 1944
138
CANADA (Alberta): Regulations governing the Erection, Operation and Public Safety of Entertainment Halls,
Places of Amusement, Theatres, Motion Picture Theatres and Motion Picture Equipment, etc. Dated 19
July 1944
138
(Ontario): Regulations under the Theatres and Cinematographs Act. Dated 11 July 1944
139
Regulations concerning the Control of Dust in Factories. Dated 18 August 1944
139
(Quebec): Amendments to the Quebec Public Health Act 1941. Dated 12 February 1944
139
DENMARK: Notification concerning the Equipment and Use of Compressed Air Receivers, Hydrophores and other
Containers with Air under Pressure. Dated 2 March 1944
139
F I N L A N D : Order of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry concerning the Storage, Handling and Transport of
Highly Flammable Celluloid that is Temporarily Removed from its Regular Storeplace. Dated 27 March 1944 139
Order of the Ministry of Communications and Public Works concerning Garages and Generator Gas Vehicles
in Them. 1 February 1944
140
Act concerning Inspection of Quarries for Certain Minerals. Dated 4 February 1944
140
Regulations for the Enforcement of the Act concerning Inspection of Quarries for Certain Minerals. Dated
4 February 1944
.141
G R E A T BRITAIN: The Petroleum Spirit (Canals) Order, 1944. Dated 31 May 1944
141
The Government Explosives (Canals) Order, 1944. Dated 31 May 1944 .
141
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (District of Columbia): Safety Standards—Construction. Effective 20 July 1944 . 141
AUSTRALIA (South Australia): Annual Report of the Factories and Steam Boilers Department, 1943
.
.
.
. 142
BELGIUM: Occupational Diseases, 1943
G R E A T BRITAIN: Accidents in Mines 1938-1943
142
143
Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories, 1943
I N D I A : Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Mines for the Year 1941
Factory Report for the Year 1942
UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA: Report of the Miners' Phthisis Medical Bureau, 1939-1941
144
150
151
151
U N I T E D STATES OF A M E R I C A : Quarry Accidents in 1942
152
153
R e c e n t Books
157
New Posters
100
Published by the INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, 3480 University St., Montreal, Canada.
INDUSTRIAL
MONTREAL
SAFETY
SURVEY
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1944
VOL.
XX, No. 4
THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL
By Ned II. DEAKI.ORN, President
DEFINITION AND SCOPE
The National Safety Council is the principal
agency in the United States concerned solely
with the prevention of accidents. Its influence
reaches into industry, the farm and the home,
the school, into the streets and the highways,
and into every common walk of life. Memberships are held in every State in the Union and,
until the war disrupted normal communications,
were held in at least 40 other countries and
territories.
The work of the National Safety Council is
not to be thought of, however, as emanating
from a single source supported by a single
authority. On the contrary, successful prevention work of any kind—public health, flood
control, soil and forest conservation, and many
another—must be the result of the co-operative
effort of many agencies. The work of the
National Safety Council is done by more than
5,000 industrial members, educational institution members, police and other municipal departments, insurance companies and transportation
systems, and many individuals and other groups
of members. The efforts of these members
receive focus, stimulation and guidance through
the staffs of the local councils, the regional
offices and the home office of the National
Safety Council.
There are many industrial and trade associations, professional societies, federal, State and
municipal departments, women's clubs, educational and religious bodies, fraternal, agricultural and other groups which likewise do
sterling safety work in the various fields of their
interest. With hundreds of such groups, the
Council has working agreements by which their
promotional work for accident prevention receives advice, materials and support from the
Council. Excellent co-operation between the
Council and such groups has strengthened the
common effort to reduce the nation's accident
losses.
Membership in the Council is held at the
present time by approximately 98 per cent, of
all industrial concerns in the country which
employ 1,000 or more people. Practically all
Class A railroads and most of the smaller roads
are Council members.
School, college and
library memberships number hundreds, as do
affiliations with casualty and other insurance
companies. It may be safely said that the
council organisation, including its memberships
and its directly co-operating agencies, gives
direct accident prevention service to half the
nation's workers, and directly or indirectly
influences for the better the personal security
of half the population of the United States.
CONTROL OF NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL
AFFAIRS
Ultimate authority in the Council's affairs
lies, as it should, with an association operating
without profit for the benefit of members, in
the hands of its members. Election of the
various individuals and groups who serve as
officers and committees is accomplished at the
annual Safety Congress in October of each year.
Providing leadership of the very highest
quality is the recently constituted group of
Trustees. The Trustees represent the Council's
interests among the nation's industrial and
financial groups. The Trustees have full power
and control over the conduct of special solicitations of funds from private or public sources
to support the Council's general activities,
especially its public safety work. They have
complete authority over the use of funds solicited
in this way.
122
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY SUBVEY
Present Trustees of the National
Council are:
Safety
Chairman of the Trustees: Mr. William A. Irvin,
Member of the Executive Committee, United
States Steel Corporation.
Secretary of the Trustees: Mr. Ned H. Dearborn,
President, National Safety Council.
Treasurer of the Trustees: Mr. Thomas W.
Lamont, Vice-President of the Board, J. P.
Morgan and Co.
Members
Mr. Winthrop W. Aldrich, Chairman, Board
of Directors, The Chase National Bank.
Mr. Melvin H. Baker, President, National
Gypsum Company.
Mr. Lawrence D. Bell, President, Bell Aircraft
Corporation.
Mr. James B. Black, President, Pacific Gas and
Electric Company.
Mr. S. Bruce Black, President, Liberty Mutual
Insurance Company.
Mr. Morgan B. Brainard, President, Aetna
Life Insurance Company.
Mr. John W. Carpenter, President, Texas Power
and Light Company.
Mr. William G. Chandler, President, ScrippsHoward Supply Company.
Mr. Kenneth B. Colman, President, J. M.
Column Company.
Mr. Howard Coonley, Chairman of the Board,
Walworth Company.
Mr. Frederick G. Crawford, President, Thompson Products, Incorporated.
Mr. Walter J. Cummings, Chairman of the
Board, Continental Illinois National Bank
and Trust Co.
Mr. Ned H. Dearborn, President, National
Safety Council.
Mr. R. 11. Deupree, President, Procter and
Gamble Company.
Mr. Benjamin F. Fairless, President, United
States Steel Corporation.
Mr. Francis J. Gavin, President, Great Northern
Railroad Company.
Mr. Walter S. Gifford, President, American
Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Mr. John Gunn, President, Employers Mutual
Insurance Company.
Mr. E. Roland Harriman, Director, Union
Pacific Railroad Company.
Mr. William A. Irvin, Member, Executive
Committee, United States Steel Corporation.
Mr. William M. Jeffers, President, Union
Pacific Railroad.
Mr. H. P. Liversidge, President, Philadelphia
Electric Company.
Mr. Thomas I. Parkinson, President, Equitable
Life Assurance Society of the U.S.
Mr. William A. Simpson, President, AVilliam
Simpson Construction Company.
Mr. Robert C. Stanley, President, International Nickel Company of Canada, Limited.
Mr. John Stilwell, Vice-President, Consolidated
Edison Company of New York.
Mr. Juan T. Trippe, President, Pan-American
Airways, Incorporated.
Mr. Harry C. Wiess, President, Humble Oil
and Refining Company.
Mr. C. E. Wilson, President, General Motors
Corporation.
Mr. Charles E. Wilson, President, General
Electric Company.
Public relations and the general policies of
the Council, including the control of funds derived from dues of organisational and individual
members and from the sale of publications or
for specific services, are in the hands of the
Board of Directors. The Board of Directors
supplements the work of both the Trustees and
the Executive Board, and enhances the prestige
and effectiveness of the Council's work.
The following are the present Board of Directors :
Chairman of the Board of Directors: Mr. John
Stilwell, Vice-President, Consolidated Edison
Company of New York.
Vice-Chair man of the Board of Directors: Mr.
Theodore F. Smith, President, Oliver Iron and
Steel Corporation.
Members
Mr. H. W. Anderson, Vice-President in Charge
of Industrial Relations, General Motors
Corporation.
Mr. D. B. Armstrong, 2nd Vice-President,
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (VicePresident for Homes).
Mr. Wallace N. Barker, Vice-President, Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Company.
Mr. Thomas E. Braniff, President, Braniff
Airways, Incorporated.
Mr. Clarence Carlton, Vice-President, Motor
Wheel Corporation.
Mr. Cleo F. Craig, Vice-President, American
Safety Council.
Mrs. La Fell Dickinson, President, General
Federation of Women's Clubs.
Mr. Wallace J. Falvey, Vice-President, Massachusetts Bonding and Insurance Company.
Mr. James L. Fieser, Vice-Chairman at Large,
American Red Cross.
Mr. Alfred C. Fuller, Chairman of the Board,
Fuller Brush Company.
Mr. W. Earl Hall, Managing Editor, Mason
City Globe-Gazette (Vice-President for Public
Information).
Dr. H. T. Heald, President, Illinois Institute
of Technology (Vice-President for Schools
and Colleges).
Mr. G. A. Heuser, President, Henry Vogt Company.
Dr. W. M. Jardine, President, University of
Wichita.
Mr. C. A. Kirk, Vice-President in Charge of
Manufacturing, International Business Machines.
Mr. George H. Lowe, President, Utah Safety
Council.
Miss Pauline E. Mandigo, Public Relations
Counsel (Vice-President for Women's Activities).
Mr. I. W. Millard, President, Industrial Gloves
Company
(Vice-President
for
Finance,
Treasurer).
Mr. Guy L. Noble, Managing Director, National
Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work
(Vice-President for Farms).
Mr. Henry E. North, Vice-President, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
Mr. Joseph L. Overlook, Vice-President, Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust
Company.
Mr. Walter S. Paine, Manager, Engineering
and Inspection Department, Aetna Life and
Affiliated Companies (Vice-President for
Industry).
Judge Lee E. Skeel, Appellate Court, Cleveland,
Ohio (Vice-President for Local Safety Organisations).
Mr. Theodore F. Smith, President, Oliver Iron
and Steel Corporation.
Mr. R. T. Solensten, Vice-President, Elliott
Service Company (Vice-President for Mem. bership).
123
Mr. Leslie J. Sorenson, City Traffic Engineer,
City of Chicago (Vice-President for Traffic
and Transportation).
Colonel Albert A. Sprague, Chicago.
Mr. Gordon G. Steele, President, Portland
Traction Company.
Mr. John Stilwell, Vice-President, Consolidated Edison Company of New York.
Mr. William B. Way, General Manager, Radio
Station KVOO.
The Executive Board, on the other hand,
carries out the policies of the Council, directs
its accident prevention activities, prepares
budgets covering those activities, and assumes
responsibility for development and research in
all methods of accident prevention and health
conservation which come within the scope of
the Council's programme. The members of the
Executive Board are representative of various
groups within the Council membership: the
local safety organisations, the Council Sections
(Sections are membership groups representing
their respective industries or other common
interests), and members at large. Officers of
the Council, except the Executive Vice-President
who is chosen by the Board of Directors, are
elected by the membership at the annual Congress. The following persons constitute the
present Executive Board:
Chairman of the Executive Board: Mr. R. J.
Reigeluth, New Haven Trap Rock Company.
Vice-Chairman of the Executive Board: Mr. C. E.
Wooliever, Personnel Manager, Buick Motor
Division, General Motors Corporation.
Members at Large
Dr. D. B. Armstrong, 2nd Vice-President,
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
Mr. J. I. Banash, Consulting Engineer, Chicago.
Mr. L. J. Benson, Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and
Pacific Railroad.
Mr. C. W. Bergquist, Hinsdale, Illinois.
Mr. A. J. R. Curtis, Assistant to the General
Manager, Portland Cement Association.
Safety Council.
Mr. R. H. Ferguson, Manager of Safety, Republic Steel Corporation.
Mr. W. Earl Hall, Managing Editor, Mason
City Globe-Gazette.
124
Mr. D. T. Hartson, Vice-President, Equitable
Gas Company.
Mr. Otto R. Hartwig, General Safety Supervisor,
Crown Zellerbach Corporation.
Mr. Julien H. Harvey, Managing Director,
National Conservation Bureau.
Mr. W. A. Hazard, Engineer of Erection,
Bethlehem Steel Company.
Dr. T. Lyle Hazlett, Medical Director, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.
Dr. H. T. Heald, President, Illinois Institute of
Technology.
Mr. C. F. Joyner, Jr., Commissioner of Motor
Vehicles, Richmond, Virginia.
Mr. W. Dean Keefer, 2nd Vice-President,
Lumbermen's Mutual Casualty Company.
Mr. John E. Long, Superintendent of Safety,
The Delaware and Hudson Railroad Corporation.
Mr. J. Willard Lord, Safety Engineer, Atlantic
Refining Company.
Mr. Thomas H. MacDonald, Commissioner,
Public Roads Administration.
Miss Pauline E. Mandigo, Public Relations
Council.
Mr. I. W. Millard, President, Industrial Gloves
Company.
Mr. Harold L. Miner, Manager, Safety and Fire
Prevention Division, E. I. du Pont de Nemours
and Company.
Mr. Eliot Ness, Director of Social Protection
Division, Community War Services, Federal
Security Agency.
Mr. Guy L. Noble, Managing Director, National
Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work.
Mr. Walter S. Paine, Manager, Engineering and
Inspection Department, Aetna Life and Affiliated Companies.
Mr. Russell E. Perkey, Studebaker Corporation.
Mr. C. E. Pettibone, Vice-President and Manager,
Engineering Department, American Mutual
Liability Insurance Company.
Mr. R. J. Reigeluth, New Haven Trap Rock
Company.
Colonel Henry A. Reninger, Office of Civilian
Defense.
Mr. A. V. Rohweder, Superintendent of Safety
and Welfare, Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range
Railway Company.
Judge Lee E. Skeel, Appellate Court, Cleveland,
Ohio.
Mr. R. T. Solensten, Vice-President, Elliott
Service Company.
Mr. Leslie J. Sorenson, City Traffic Engineer,
City of Chicago.
Dr. C. H. Watson, Superintendent, Vanderbilt
Clinic, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.
Mr. C. E. Wooliever, Personnel Manager, Buick
Motor Division, General Motors Corporation.
Mr. V. A. Zimmer, Director, Division of Labor
Standards, U.S. Department of Labor.
Representatives of the Conference
of Local Safety Organisations
Mr. George M. Burns, Director, Kansas City
Safety Council.
Mr. Reyburn Hoffmann, Secretary-Manager,
The Safety Council of Great St. Louis.
Mr. Frank L. Jones, President, Greater New
York Safety Council.
Mr. Harold F. Lillie, Director-Secretary, Lansing
Safety Council.
Mr. Walter W. Matthews, Managing Director,
Philadelphia Safety Council.
Mr. Fred M. Rosseland, Secretary-Manager,
Newark Safety Council.
Mr. Carl L. Smith, Managing Director and Secretary, Greater Cleveland Safety Council.
Representatives of the Conference
of Sections
Mr. H. R. Bixler, Personnel Director, Mutual
Life Insurance Company of New York.
Mr. W. F. Brown, Safety Director, Consolidated
Edison Company of New York.
Mr. W. Graham Cole, Assistant Secretary,
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
Mr. G. 0 . Griffin, Safety Director, Dravo
Corporation.
Mr. E. S. Miner, Safety Engineer, American
Mr. J. L. Risinger, Safety Supervisor, SoconyVacuum Oil Company, Incorporated.
Lieutenant-Colonel R. C. Stratton, Office of
Chief of Ordnance, Safety and Security
Branch, Chicago.
Under the direction of the President, the staffs
of the regional offices and of the national headquarters office in Chicago carry on the organisational, research, publication, consultation and
other services of the Council. These staffs are
composed of industrial, traffic and other
engineering specialists, industrial hygienists,
editors and writers, artists and statisticians,
field representatives, educational consultants
,
125
1943 I N JURY RATES BY INDUSTRY
FREQUENCY
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COMMUNICATIONS
SERVICE
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ran
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TOBACCO
AIRCRAFT MFC.
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AUTOMOBILE
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CAS UTILITIES
MEAT PACKING
CHEMICAL
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MININ6
Fig. 1.—A page from "Accident Facts" showing relative standings in accident frequency and
severity rates of members reporting to the National Safety Council
126
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY SUBVEY
and librarians, publicity specialists and other
personnel essential to the conduct of an association.
The staff organisation of the Council is designed to facilitate safety work in the various
fields in which the Council operates. The Programme Department contains the following
divisions: Industry, Traffic and Transportation,
Farm, Home, School and College, and Statistics.
Each of these administrative units is concerned
with the development of materials and programmes for its respective sphere of influence.
The Statistics Division is the fact-gathering
agency of the Council. It compiles data upon
which intelligent accident prevention programmes can be based.
The Department of Public Information has
responsibility for the regular monthly publications, the two bi-monthly and all special publications. This Department comprises the Art,
Editorial, and Publicity Divisions and has the
function of making the Council's work known
to the general public.
The field organisation of the Council has as
its chief purpose the organisation of State and
local safety councils and the development of
programmes for these councils. Men and women
staff from the regional offices in San Francisco,
Chicago, Atlanta and New York support the
work of the field forces in the establishment of
local safety councils. At the present time, there
are 68 State and local safety councils affiliated
by charter with the National Safety Council
and working closely in harmony with its policies.
Through this administrative and financial
structure the National Safety Council preserves
its essential democracy, yet without sacrifice
of executive force and efficiency. From the
membership it draws upon the great range of
experience and knowledge possessed by the
people actually doing the safety job. From the
Trustees, the Board of Directors and the Executive Board it gains the best in administrative
counsel and favourable influence. From the
executive officers and the staff it derives the
power to put to best use its funds, its techniques
and traditions, and its opportunities for service.
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT
The existence of such an organisation
National Safety Council in our national
testimony to the need for it. The scope
Council's work for curing a great social
as the
life is
of the
evil is
some small evidence of the size of that evil.
The current yearly toll of over 90,000 accidental
deaths, ten million injuries, and five billion
dollars of economic loss is proof enough that
an enormous expenditure of time, effort and
money will have to be added to what is already
being applied if we are to reduce our accident
losses even to a reasonably acceptable minimum.
Yet if we look at the past, we have some right
to be encouraged by the progress which has
been made.
The rapid growth of industrial technology in
the United States following the Civil War presented the twentieth century with some serious
problems for which solutions had to be found.
One of the gravest of these problems was the
destruction of life and the injury to human
beings by industrial accidents. Before 1907 industry had not, except in isolated instances,
undertaken to control its hazards. In fact, the
conviction was widespread that the hazards of
industry, like the hazards of the sea, were part
of the nature of things, not to be interfered
with by presumptuous man.
But shortly after the turn of the present
century, stringent federal Acts began to improve
the situation.
This federal legislation was
followed by compensation laws passed by one
State after another. Industrial leaders, aware
of the financial cost involved in this legislation,
and sensitive likewise to a mounting public
opinion, undertook to investigate the causes of
accidents and to attempt to bring them under
control.
A factor contributing to the continuance of
dangerous working conditions at the time was
the existence of laws offering employers the unsound defence of "contributory negligence",
"assumption of risks", and "fault of the fellow
servant", which gave but slight impetus to the
development of safety regulations, devices,
and methods. Furthermore, employers were
still unaware of the economic loss in both the
direct and indirect costs of accidents, and thus
they had no practical stimulus to develop
accident prevention work.
In 1912 a small group of men interested in
safety work met in Milwaukee under the auspices of the Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers. 1
These pioneers of the safety movement, rep1
See Lewis DeBLOie: "The Organisation of Safety Services in Industrial Undertakings in the U.S.A. An Analytical Review of the
American Industrial Safety Movement" in Industrial Safety Survey,
Vol. XIV, No. 5, p. 131.
resenting industrial corporations, government
departments, insurance companies and other
groups, found their exchange of ideas at this
meeting to be so valuable that a convention was
called for the following year in New York City.
At the New York meeting, an association was
formed for the purpose of collecting and sharing
accident prevention knowledge among its members. This association was named the National
Council for Industrial Safety, a title which was
changed the following year to the National
Safety Council. The convention which initiated
the organisation of the Council was made an
annual institution, and is now known as the
National Safety Congress.
127
by which accident frequency and severity rates
could be reduced.
For some 25 years the Council remained essentially a service organisation for memberships.
It was a useful period, during which the "how"
of accident prevention gradually evolved into
the complex engineering and educational science
that it is today. It was a period during which
the prevention of accidents in industry was
proved to be not only possible, but also necessary
—necessary from the point of view both of
business efficiency and of the public interest.
During these years also the groundwork was
laid for the full-fledged public safety programme
which is now in effect. The traffic and trans-
Fig. S.—At the information desk of the National Safety Congress. Normally about 10,000
persons in attendance
At first the aim of the National Safety Council was to assist industrial members in obtaining
a full understanding of their accident problems,
including a specific and exact knowledge of accident causes, and in the development of engineering techniques and employee training methods
portation programme was undertaken, the
school and college work was begun, and the
Council began to feel its way into its present
position as the servant of the American people
in the multitude of activities which involve
hazard to life and well-being,
128
This later expansion of the Council's programme into the many aspects of public safety
has in no way lessened its concern with industrial
hazards. The gains which have been made have,
on the contrary, only emphasised the immensity
of the unfinished task. In the 17-year period
since 1926, when statistical reports to the
Council became sufficiently numerous and well
stabilised to serve as a basis for the computation
of trends, the industrial injury frequency rate of
Council members has declined 69 per cent, and
the severity rate 51 per cent. Yet there are
many thousands of industrial establishments
which have but a rudimentary conception of
the possibilities of more efficient production and
better employee relationships, which are inherent
in good safety programmes. The industrial
safety job, like accident prevention in the street,
the highway, the home and the farm, has been
only well started.
T H E NATURE OF COUNCIL SERVICES
Membership in the National Safety Council
brings to an industrialist a comprehensive body
of safety techniques which have been developed
over a period of 30 years. In the form of safe
practices pamphlets, data sheets, safety instruction cards and manuals, these techniques are
being constantly revised and supplemented.
Every effort is made by the Council's industrial
staff to keep up to date on current problems in
the protection of life and health, and to keep
members fully informed on preventive measures.
The official publication of the Council, the
National Safety News, provides every member
with technical information, with articles of
general information in the safety field, and with
current statistical data. The News is likewise a
comprehensive advertising medium for safety
equipment.
Fig. 3.—Special poster series used to promote off-the-job accident prevention programmes
sponsored by employers
129
Special publications and regular monthly cies, the Council has sought improvement of
publications are also available for distribution to driver-licensing practices throughout the counindustrial supervisors and to employees. These try. I t has likewise assisted in the development
publications are in some instances provided as a of improved traffic-accident records and has
part of regular membership service; in others made a special study of traffic-accident experthey are purchased as needed. They provide ience.
abundant material for safety instruction and for
Traffic engineers on the staff of the Council
the stimulation of employee interest in the safety have worked for a better understanding of
programme of the company distributing them.
traffic controls and for the improvement of highThe Council's poster service is one of its tradi- way conditions. A substantial part of the work
tional media for conveying the safety message. of these specialists has been with the fleet operaFrom twenty to thirty new posters are produced tions of industrial members. Especially successevery month. The annual circulation of Council ful with the fleet operators are the Fleet Safety
Contest and the safe driver award programme.
posters is over 11 million.
The National Traffic Safety Contest has two
The industrial staff consists of safety engineers
sections—the
Interstate Section, with 48 States
and industrial hygienists who are constantly at
enrolled,
and
the
Inter-City Section, with 1,300
the call of members with problems of special
cities.
Awards
are
given annually to approxidifficulty.
This engineering staff' engages in
mately
10
States
and
50 cities. This contest has
research, in publication, in consultation and
become
an
institution
with the country's procorrespondence with members, and in the pregressive
municipalities.
paration of technical data on the constantly
fluctuating technology of manufacture, construcStaff members of the Council are on the Comtion, mining and transport. Acting as repre- mittee on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinances
sentatives of specific groups of members organ- of the National Conference on Street and Highised in their respective industrial fields, the staff way Safety, undertaking a revision of the Uniengineers do much to stimulate members to make form Vehicle Code and the Model Traffic Ordimore aggressive efforts to solve their accident nance. On the basis of these revisions, the
problems.
Council will plan its legislative promotional proIndustrial staff likewise spend a substantial gramme for improving traffic legislation during
part of their time in the field, advising on Council the 1945 legislative sessions.
services, creating interest in the members for the
Recognising that a long-term, permanent
development of the safety movement as a whole, effect on the thinking of the American people
and gathering data which may be of value to could be achieved only if such thinking could be
other members.
influenced during childhood and early maturity,
After a decade of service to industry, the the Council began its school and college safety
Council expanded the scope of its work to meet education programme in 1924. This programme
the problems created by the automobile. The attempts three things: the gathering of inforalarming increase in automobile fatalities, pedes- mation concerning the nature of the safety educatrian deaths, and personal injuries in the early tion problem, the furnishing of assistance in the
twenties demanded action on a nation-wide solution of problems in specific educational
basis. Although traffic-accident prevention is, areas, and the publicising of pertinent data,
and must remain, primarily the responsibility of instructional materials, and the activities carried
public officials supported by public opinion, the on in various schools.
Council seized its opportunity to be of substanThe work of the School and College Division
tial help in reducing the pedestrian and motor is carried on largely through professional assovehicle toll.
ciations, parent and civic groups, and through
Jointly with the American Bar Association the men and women active in the educational world.
Council gave direct assistance to public officials This work is supplemented by the Industrial
in the improvement of traffic court programmes. Division, which, through the American Society
This work included arranging traffic court con- of Safety Engineers, one of its engineering secferences, making a study of legislation for im- tions, has worked towards the introduction of
proving traffic courts, and making a special safety training into our engineering colleges.
study on prosecutors.
The Council helps teachers in the elementary
Working through many other interested agen- school, the secondary school, the rural school,
130
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY SURVEY.
and the school shop by means of safety manuals,
organisational and teaching materials, posters
and lesson units.
Long interested in satisfactory approaches to
accident prevention on the farm and in the home,
the Council in 1942 set up the Home Division
and the Farm Division as further steps in its
public service programme. Through co-operation
with appliance and equipment manufacturers,
real estate people, associations of engineers and
architects, and with public and private agencies
interested in the design and construction of
homes, trends towards safer houses and safer
home equipment have been started. Rather
than reach the American household directly, the
Council seeks to strengthen the safety influence
of women's groups, public health groups, and
other agencies which have long-standing and, in
many cases, constant contact with home makers.
The Farm Division of the Council likewise
finds its most successful approach by way of
organisations which already have the attention
of the farmer and his family. Safety education
through the 4-H Clubs, for instance, influencing
as it does the most impressionable portion of the
farm population, yields both immediate and
lasting results. The Council has established excellent working relationships with manufacturers
of farm machinery, effecting the removal of
many hazards in its design and construction.
To facilitate the co-operation of the many
thousands of farmer groups in the country, the
Council promotes the formation of State and
local farm safety committees made up of representatives of the various agricultural agencies.
WARTIME PROGRAMME
Even before the entry of the United States into
the war, the National Safety Council and other
accident prevention agencies of the nation were
preparing themselves for the safety programmes
accompanying war production. It was quite
obvious that the great increase in employment,
the risks inherent in the introduction of new
methods and new materials and processes, the
magnitude of the supervisory problem, might
well result in a disastrous increase in the number
of industrial accidents unless some concerted
effort were made to forestall it.
In August of 1941, President ROOSEVELT
issued a proclamation calling upon the National
Safety Council to assume leadership in an intensified campaign to reduce the nation's man-
power losses from accidents, losses which in 1941
totalled 480 million mandays. 1 More than 62
per cent, of this total manday loss by workers
was suffered while they were off the job. Consequently the challenge was one to be met only
by an accident prevention campaign of the
widest possible scope, using all possible resources,
and demanding co-operation in high degree with
many hundreds of other agencies with potential
influence for safety. It meant, moreover, that
the Council had not only to expand its established industrial programme, but had also to step
with full stride into fields of accident prevention
in which its activities had hitherto been tentative
or restricted.
Immediately the Council organised the War
Production Fund to Conserve Manpower. 2 This
organisation, under the leadership of Mr. William A. IRVIN, former President of the United
States Steel Corporation, and currently the
Chairman of the Trustees of the National Safety
Council, undertook the financing of the Council's
wartime manpower conservation programme.
The Fund likewise marked a turning point in
the Council's history, for by initiating such a
full-fledged programme which has been and will
continue to be maintained, the National Safety
Council has established its status as a truly
national public service organisation.
The Fund brought the importance of the
safety movement, as a matter affecting the public
interest, to the attention of about 41,000 executives in business, industry and finance throughout the United States. It likewise brought about
the participation in the safety movement of more
than a thousand leading representatives of
business and industry who served on the committees of the Fund.
Two principal gains were made as the result
of this financial campaign. The industrial and
financial leaders who were directing the war
production job were made definitely more aware
of the importance of accident prevention as a
nationally supported activity. Of equal immediate importance, a contributed sum adequate
to launch the expanded safety programme was
obtained.
The Council made immediate offer of its facilities and resources to the various public and
private agencies responsible for war production.
A staff engineer of the Industrial Division became chief safety consultant for the Maritime
1
2
See Industrial Safety Sumey, Vol. XVII, No. 3, p. 07.
litem. Vol. XVIII, No. 2, p. 53.
THE NATIONAL SAFETY
COUNCIL
131
Commission and, acting in an advisory capacity, to contribute from its personnel to the teaching
was instrumental in developing safety program- staff, especially in the Chicago area.
mes which • are materially reducing accident
Technical assistance was given the Ordnance
losses in U.S. Navy-Maritime Commission ship- Department, especially in Chicago, where Counyards throughout the country. Another indus- cil staff members served as instructors in a special
trial man spends approximately half of his time school conducted by the Safety and Security
in Washington servicing this shipyard safety Branch on the problems of plant protection.
programme. The result to date has been a 16.9 . Services of a technical and advisory nature were
per cent, reduction in accident frequency among likewise given the Army Sewage Division and
some 1,500,000 workers in 300 shipyards, repre- the United States Forestry Service. Teaching
senting savings of about five million manhours materials and test questions and answers for a
and six million dollars in production in the safety course were provided for the United
Gulf Coast shipyards alone.
States Armed Forces Institute.
The Air Service Command, for which another
An effective instrument in the drive to teach
industrial staff man acts as chief safety consul- safety to the maximum number of industrial
tant, has achieved a 68 per cent, reduction in workers in a minimum of time is the series of ten
accident frequency through safety programmes foremanship training sound slide films prepared
installed at various depots. This reduction by the Council for the instruction of industrial
effected a saving of 400,000 mandays of pro- supervisors. Adapted to the teaching of basic
duction among 300,000 employees of the Army safety principles to groups of people, the films
Air Service Command.
have been widely adopted by industry to speed
A staff engineer assisted the War Production up accident prevention work. They have proved
Board, Office of Labor Production, in drawing to be a satisfactory medium for giving detailed
up a plan for greater co-operation in safety information to, and creating interest in, thoumatters between organised labour and manage- sands of men and women raised to supervisory
ment. Technical advice was given for the re- positions by the war effort.
duction of accidents in several critical war inA virtually untouched field for organised accidustries.
dent prevention work is the small plants, many
The Council was able to contribute in many thousands of which came into war production
ways to the various training programmes which as subcontractors and producers of essential
were instituted, especially during 1942 and 1943, goods. It is probably true to say that the vast
for the education in safety of Army and Navy majority of plants employing less than 100 permen and of industrial supervisors and others re- sons are not acutely aware that they have an
sponsible for national security and for war pro- accident problem, and much less aware of how
duction. To persons interested in the future of to meet such a problem. Because in most cases
safety work, these training programmes are their total of accidents may be small, their freespecially significant, for they not only have quency and severity rates are unknown to them.
achieved a quick and widespread dissemination
The Council has reached into the small-plant
of safety techniques for the immediate saving of field with the development of a special memberproduction manpower; they have also undoubt- ship with special materials. This service includes
edly left a residue of influence and information an industrial safety manual, safety instruction
which will bear fruit in the post-war years.
posters, inspection forms, bulletin board mateThese courses, sponsored by the United States rials, and a special section each month in the
Department of Labor and the United States National Safety Neivs.
Department of Education and presented under
The Council's sphere of influence has been
the auspices of about 100 colleges and technical likewise extended by a new membership cateschools throughout the country, gave a ground- gory set up to interest industrial and trade assoing in accident-prevention techniques to many ciations, labour unions, State and federal labour
thousands of men and women engaged in war departments, service organisations, and insurproduction. 1 The Council was privileged not ance agents and brokers. In process of formation
only to assist in the planning of these courses, is a special membership service for mercantile
but also to provide basic materials for them, and establishments, such as stores, restaurants, and
1
other service organisations. These services not
See R. B. MORLEY: "The Universities and Safety Instruction. A
Report on Certain Educational Activities in the United States and
only aim at curtailing the off-the-job accident
Canada", in Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XX, No. 1, p. 1.
132
U
KBUON |
PUBLIC
SßFETY
Soiety
y
/•
"'"'MM»»,
«?//®y
v-
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R<7. 4-—The eight regular publications of the National Safety Council
losses of wartime workers, but also look forward
to an expanded post-war usefulness.
Research projects have recently been undertaken by the American Society of Safety Engineers, which is one of the engineering sections of
the National Safety Council, on the three subjects of "Walkway Surfaces", "Plastic Face
Shields", and "Safety Belts, Harnesses and
Accessories". Substantial appropriations have
been made to promote these studies, which are
being carried forward in collaboration with the
United States Bureau of Standards and the
National Institute of Health.
Although restrictions on tires and gasoline
resulted in sharply decreased traffic fatalities
and injuries, the war brought many new traffic
problems, especially in the war-production
areas. War plants were built in locations which
did not have the highway or transportation
facilities to care easily for the increased flow of
traffic. There were, furthermore, the gradually
increasing risks involved in the operation of
aging automobiles. The war-worker drivers in
some localities required education, as many of
them, influenced by the importance of the war
production job, thought of themselves as exceptions to the rules of safety and good sense.
The Council's Traffic and Transportation
Division was able to render service in the solution of these problems. Members of the Council
of the Traffic Engineering Bureau spent much
time in the field assisting traffic authorities and
industrial managements to obtain maximum
use of existing traffic facilities with minimum
hazard. Thirty-four war centres were helped
in this planning, among them Rock Island, Salt
Lake City, Memphis, Mobile, Peoria, Kansas
City, and San Antonio.
Similarly, help was given to the National Highway Traffic Advisory Committee, to the War
Department and its various State committees,
and to the Division of Local Transport of the
Office of Defense Transportation. Among the
special tasks undertaken with these groups was
a study of traffic accidents during dim-outs and
the supervision of a co-operative project with
the American Bar Association for the improvement of traffic court procedures, including the
handling of military and war-worker traffic
violators. Financial as well as advisory support
was given in this work.
At the request of the Corps of Engineers,
AUS, traffic engineers of the Council's staff
developed a special course in commercial vehicle
safety. This course was conducted for that
organisation's civilian personnel, who are charged
with safety supervision and training of drivers.
Through a co-operative project with the
International Association of Chiefs of Police,
aid was given police departments in maintaining
high standards of law enforcement and administration in cities with concentrations of war industry or military personnel.
Particularly damaging to war production are
the accidents suffered by employed people while
they are away from the job. In fact, the Council's Statistical Division finds that for every
100 employed men and women injured on the
job, 121 are injured off the job. To get at this
serious cause of absenteeism, the Council prepared a programme for off-the-job accident prevention for use by employers in influencing their
employees so as to make for greater safety on
the way to and from work, at home, on vacation,
and at other times and places.
This programme consists of leaflets for distribution to employees, discussion outlines for
plant safety meetings, posters, slide films, and
suggestions for interest stimulation. Despite
the pressure of war work, and in many instances
because of it, many employers are using this
off-the-job safety material with satisfactory
results. Handled with tact, off-the-job activities
in industry are a legitimate and profitable extension of the employer's endeavours to keep his
people on the job.
The Council prepared a special booklet for
service men called "Pvt. Droop Has Missed the
War", which was distributed to service men
leaving Army Sixth Service Command posts
on pass or furlough. In the month following
the distribution of this appeal for personal
responsibility in accident prevention, there was a
61 per cent, drop in off-duty accidents among
these men. Though not entirely comparable
to those in an industrial situation, the results
133
may have significance for industrial leaders and
others who may ask what kind of response is
given to such educational efforts.
As a part of its manpower conservation effort
the Council, through the newspapers and other
publications, stimulated a campaign against
grade crossing accidents. As a result, grade
crossing accidents were reduced in 1943 from 15
to 55 per cent, in eight States in which the programme was undertaken.
Fortunate as we in the United States have
been in not having forced upon us the kind of
"total" war endured by so many nations in
Europe, we cannot afford unnecessary drains
upon our medical and hospital facilities nor upon
the time and thought of those who are doing
the war job. The safety of women, children, and
old people, as well as the safety of the war
worker as such is therefore of first importance,
not only from the humanitarian point of view,
but also because of the need to economise
resources.
The Council has taken the position that there
are no "non-essential" people, either in a nation
waging a war for survival, or in a nation coveting
the best fruits of civilisation for its people in
peace time. Consequently the Council's expansion of programme so as to include farm and
home activities and the protection of women
and children is wholly consistent both with its
wartime programme and with its post-war
aims.
Arrangements have been made for the active
co-operation in the Council's wartime programme of the National Council of Women,
composed of 20 national women's organisations
with an aggregate membership of at least five
million women. The National Council of Women
regularly supplies broadcast material for 350
radio programmes and supplies releases to many
hundreds of newspapers and magazines. Its
committee on war activities is giving safety
work a leading place in its programme.
The National Safety Council has employed a
full-time director for the task of mobilising this
and other women's organisations behind the
safety movement, and has begun the development of a special programme of safety activities
for women in connection with the war effort.
Such organisations co-operating with the Council are the American Women's Voluntary Services, the National Federation of Business and
Professional Women's Clubs, and the General
Federation of Women's Clubs,
134
Because of the tolls taken by home and. farm
accidents, and the inevitable effects such accidents have upon industrial production and the
production of essential foodstuffs, the development of a comprehensive programme of home
and farm safety is being pushed.
Because an accident to a child inevitably
affects the parents also, as well as placing a
strain on our already taxed medical and hospital
resources, the efforts of the School and College
Division to reduce accidents to minors is entirely
consistent with the broad scope of the Council's
wartime programme. The nature of the work
in this field is essentially the same as in peace
time; the extent of the effort is greatly intensified.
The Home Division has extended its activities,
taking full advantage of the co-operation offered
by the National Council of Women and other
groups having direct contact with the nation's
homes. More specifically, at the request of the
Federal Housing Authority of the National
Housing Agency, a study was made of their
publication "Minimum Construction Requirements" and a report rendered which recommended certain changes for household safety.
The Division is also co-operating with two committees of the American Public Health Association aiming at accident prevention and hygiene
in housing.
Through field visits and other assistance,
home safety activities have been established
or expanded in 30 cities, among the larger of
which are New York, Milwaukee, Louisville,
Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and
Cleveland. In New York, 700,000 home safety
inspection check lists were distributed.
In
Cleveland, adult home safety classes were
organised in 70 schools, with an enrolment of
more than 2,500.
Following the campaign,
Cleveland reported a 21 per cent, reduction in
home fatalities.
Of special interest is the setting up of an
experimental laboratory-type home safety programme in Milwaukee.
This experiment is
expected to provide valuable information on
the effectiveness of various methods of promoting home safety. A similar experimental
programme on a state-wide rural basis is being
undertaken in the State of Indiana.
*
*
*
The last two and a half years have seen a 20
per cent, increase in Council membership, a 75
per cent, increase in Council staff, and an increase in the budget of 170 per cent. These are
facts in which the Council membership may
take some pride.
Such pride, however, must be relative, for it
is completely overshadowed by the humility
we must feel when we think of our unfinished
business. A budget of less than 2 cents per
person in the United States is hardly adequate
to give that person the protection from personal
tragedy to which he is entitled. The fact is, of
course, that the National Safety Council by
itself can do only a small fraction of the accident
prevention work which must be done before we
can consider the task even reasonably accomplished. Only through the collective effort of
all organisations and interests with influence in
the national life can safety be made—as it must
be made—one of the decencies prerequisite to
civilised existence.
135
INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
ACCIDENT
The Institute announces the inauguration of
its safety museum in Buenos Aires.
ASSOCIATION
BOARDS
AND
or
INDUSTRIAL
COMMISSIONS
10/fS Convention, Harrisburg, Pa.1
In 1943 the Association celebrated its thirtieth
anniversary.
Membership comprised thirtythree States of the U.S.A., seven Canadian
Provinces, four Federal Departments and Bureaux and 28 associate members. Invitations to
accept membership were addressed to the Latin
American States by the Executive Committee
in June 1943, but up to the meeting of the Convention in October none had accepted.
The proceedings of the Convention were
chiefly concerned with questions of workmen's
compensation but papers were read on the beginnings of the industrial safety and compensation
movements in the U.S.A., the practical application of the Heinrich accident cause code in
Pennsylvania and wartime occupational disease
experience and problems.
ARGENTINA
A N E W SAFETY
MAGAZINE
The Technical Industrial Accident Institute
(Institute Técnico de Accidentes del Trabajo),
Buenos Aires, has begun the publication of a
bi-monthly industrial health and safety magazine entitled Seguridad e Higiene Industrial.
The first two numbers, for May-June and JulyAugust 1944, contain numerous articles, mostly
illustrated, on both general and specific problems of health and safety. The magazine makes
a very favourable impression; the material is of
direct practical interest and is very well presented in concise and readable articles. The
International Labour Office welcomes the appearance of the new journal, which will undoubtedly prove to be a valuable medium of
information, propaganda and education.
1
1943 Convention of the International Association of Industrial
Accident Boards and Commissions, Harrisburg, Pa. Discussion^ of
Industrial Accidents and Diseases. U.S. Department of Labor, Division
of Labor Statistics, Bulletin No. 68, 1944,
ARGENTINE SAFETY INSTITUTE
By a Decree of 23 May 1944, the President
of the Republic accorded the Argentine Safety
Institute (Institute Argentino de Seguridad)
the patronage of the Government with the
object of encouraging its campaign against
accidents in industry, on the-road, at home and
at school. In virtue of this Decree the Institute
may use official postage stamps.
AUSTRALIA
T H E NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA
IN
19431
The Council's annual report for 1943 describes
the year's work for industrial, road, home and
air safety.
The work in industry has grown to such an
extent that the Council has considered' it necessary to secure direct representation in additional Australian States. Arrangements have
been made to appoint representatives in New
South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
The Industrial Safety Committee has had a
busy year. The main feature has again been
propaganda in the way of posters, slips for insertion in pay envelopes, and the journal Safety
News under the Industrial Safety Educational
Service. In addition, booklets, leaflets, "Danger"
tags for machines under repair, and other
literature, have been made available. Screen
slides in relation to industrial hazards have been
shown in metropolitan and provincial theatres.
The standard of the poster service has been
raised, and additional posters issued drawing
attention to the specific hazards that may confront women in industry. During the year, the
Committee issued 55,300 posters and 1,119,700
copies of safety messages for insertion in pay
envelopes.
Many problems have been submitted to the
committee for its expert advice, and committee
i For 1942, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 4, p. 146.
136
members have also kept abreast of new departures in industry in Australia. Talks have
been given to groups of employees, in training
classes of foremen and apprentices, and to
trade associations in Sydney and Melbourne.
By direct representation on this committee,
and by personal contact with executive officers,
Federal and State Government Departments
that are linked with industrial safety have given
full co-operation. Enquirers have been supplied
with a fund of information gleaned from the
experience of the members and from overseas
publications received by the Council.
During the year Stevedoring and Shipbuilding Committees were brought into being, with
the main idea of issuing suitable literature in
these particular spheres.
The Air Safety Committee, which suspended
its activities in 1942, has been revived and is
promoting a scheme of assistance to aircraft
in distress which will be operated through local
air safety committees.
The Council expresses the view that although
special appeals calling for intensified bursts of
publicity, or even stunts, are of value if used
occasionally when circumstances permit, education of the individual in safe practices is only
possible of achievement by long and continuous
effort. With this policy in mind, the Executive
has kept steadily on its course of action, with
the detailed work controlled by expert committees, the members of which are giving their
time in a purely voluntary capacity. The basic
principle in accident prevention, "that accidents don't happen—they are caused", must
be constantly kept before the public on a planned
scale that will eventually command results.
In conclusion, the Council is able to record that
its efforts have earned the respect of the community if not the co-operation of all. It points
out, however, that the safety movement requires
the practical backing of the nation at large.
GREAT BRITAIN
NATIONAL JOINT INDUSTRIAL COUNCIL FOR THE
FLOUR MILLING INDUSTRY
Twenty-fifth Annual Report, 194S-19441
As usual the Council's report contains interesting material on the occurrence and prevention
of industrial accidents and diseases.
In 1943 there were 393 accidents in the flour
milling industry, 90 being classified as machinery
1
For 1042, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XIX, No. 3, p. 117.
'
accidents and 303 as non-machinery accidents.
One of the latter was fatal. Slips and falls of
various kinds accounted for 118 accidents,
strains in lifting weights for 36, struck by falling
bodies 34, handling tools 31 and stepping on
or striking against objects 28.
The shift working from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
accounted for 171 of the accidents.
Brief descriptions are given of the machinery
accidents and a few of the more noteworthy
non-machinery accidents.
The Factories Committee draw attention to
four accidents in the handling of 280 lb. sacks
and recommend that their use should be discontinued. They also refer especially to sack hoists,
which caused 18 accidents, more than any other
type of machinery; and to man hoists, on which
a number of overwinds occurred.
The Committee's safety pamphlet is being
revised and reissued.
Very great difficulties were experienced in
obtaining protective clothing but they were
eventually overcome. The Dermatitis Committee reported 31 cases as against 39 in 1942.
The incidence of dermatitis in the flour milling
industry is considered to be lower than among
the general public. The real causes of the disease
have not yet been ascertained. A pamphlet on
dermatitis has been distributed throughout the
industry.
SPAIN
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL M E D I C I N E ,
HEALTH AND SAFETY
At the Congress on Industrial Medicine and
Safety held in Bilbao in August 1943, a resolution was adopted calling' for the creation of an
Institute of Industrial Medicine, Health and
Safety.
• The Institute was established by a Decree
dated 7 July 19441; it has its seat in Madrid, is
attached to the Ministry of Labour and is
placed under the direction of a council presided
over by the Minister of Labour and consisting
of representatives of the General Directorate of
Public Health, the Ministry of the Interior, the
Ministry of War, the National Institute of
Medical Science, the General Directorates of
Industry and Mines in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Directorate of the
National Accident Insurance Institute, the National Institute for Social Welfare, the Accii Boletin Oficial del Eslado, No. 208, 26 July 1944, p. 5707.
dent Re-Insurance Service and the workers'
organisations.
Working in collaboration with the Public
Health Service and with industrial undertakings
and insurance carriers the Institute will undertake studies and research work relating to all
aspects of industrial medicine, health and
safety, and in particular: (a) the investigation
of medical, biological and safety problems in
industry; (b) the establishment of technical
bases and controls for the study of industrial
medicine, health and safety; (c) assistance to
the Ministry of Labour in solving concrete industrial problems submitted by official bodies
or industrial undertakings; (d) information and
research respecting measures and devices for the
prevention of industrial accidents and occupational diseases; (e) education and training
of technical staff in matters of industrial medicine, health and safety; ( / ) the preparation of
publications and dissemination of information
by other suitable means; (g) organisation of
congresses, and establishment of relations and
interchange of technical data and publications
with similar institutions in foreign countries;
(h) organisation of a library and of archives
concerning the special questions dealt with by
the Institute; {i) any other similar activity which
may be prescribed by the Ministry of Labour.
The Institute will consist of eight sections,
as follows: (1) General Hygiene and Industrial
Physiology; (2) Occupational Diseases and
Dispensaries; (3) Psycho-physiological Organisation of Work; (4) Prevention of, and Protection against, Industrial Accidents and Occupational Diseases; (5) Industrial Surgery and
Orthopaedy, Testing and Application; (6) Chemico-Bacteriological Laboratory; (7) Statistical
Section; and (8) Archives and Library.
For its organisation the Institute will receive
a contribution of two million pesetas from the
Accident Re-Insurance Service and the Guarantee Fund of the National Accident Insurance
Institute. The working expenses of the Institute
will be borne by the State.
NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL
The Thirty-third National Safety Congress1
The National Safety Congress of 1943, held
at Chicago from 3-5 October, was organised on
1
For the 32nd Congress, see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XX, No. 2,
p. 57.
137.
the customary lines but was again compressed
into three days and the attendance once again
broke all records. The Congress continues to
be the rallying point of the safety movement
throughout the United States and, in spite of
the very difficult conditions in which it now has
to meet and the short time at its disposal, its
stimulating influence is still unique.
In the interval between the 32nd and 33rd
Congresses, the National Safety Council continued its evolution from a closed corporation to a public national institution. Services
to non-members were developed, new departments were formed for farm safety, home safety,
public relations and women's activities, and
regional offices were opened at New York,
Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco. At the
beginning of October 1944 membership totalled
5,879. The cost of the Council's work for the
whole year was estimated at $1,135,000 for
members and $775,000 for non-members. The
staff increased to 249 of whom 216 were at the headquarters at Chicago and 33 in the regional offices.
The Council is now endeavouring to obtain
from Congress a National Charter making it
the officially recognised private agency for
dealing with the country's accident problem.
A special feature of the Council's work since
the outbreak of war has been the promotion of
accident prevention campaigns in the armed
forces, more especially the army and the army
air services.
After five years in office, Mr. John STILWELL
resigned the presidency of the Council and was
replaced by Mr. Ned H. DEARBORN, Executive
Vice-President. In his inaugural speech, the
new president stressed the humanitarian and
moral aspects of the safety movement. His
closing words were:
We of the National Safety Council are now engaged
not only in an undertaking of enormous social and economic importance, but also a great new humanitarian
movement to prevent untold suffering and sorrow. To
such a movement, at this time, I think we all can and
must wholeheartedly rededicate ourselves. It is a movement that will yield cumulative returns in benefits to
others and satisfaction to us—next year, and the next,
and next, and next. . .
The evolution in the Council's policy was
reflected at the 33rd Congress. In several of the
industrial and technical sections the need for
expanding and co-ordinating the safety movement on a national scale was widely realised.
The Coalmining Section, for instance, appointed
a national committee representing operators,
138
trade unions and federal and State agencies to
draft a model safety code with the ultimate
object of standardising the numerous and
diverse State mining safety regulations. The
Air Transport Section went even further and discussed the international aspects of the safety
problem. There was also realisation of the need
for co-ordinating safety, health and welfare
activities.
Labour is beginning to play its part in the
work of the Council and the Army Session was
once again conspicuously successful.
It would be quite impossible in a brief note
to review the proceedings of the 125 sessions of
the various sections of the Congress. They will,
as usual, be adequately recorded in the substantial volumes of Transactions.
The Congress was supplemented by the
customary Safety Exposition at which, this
year, there were 146 exhibitors of safety, hygiene
and medical equipment.
A novel feature in connection with the Congress was a meeting of the women safety engineers of the Air Service Command.
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
New S o u t h Wales
D E C R E E N O . 13671/44 RESPECTING THE CLASSIFICATION OF MECHANICAL CLEANING AND
DRESSING OF CARPETS AS WORK DANGEROUS
TO THE HEALTH.
D A T E D 30 M A Y
19441
This Decree provides that work performed in
the mechanical cleaning and dressing of carpets
be included in the list of occupations considered
injurious to the health.
Such work, however, shall not be considered
dangerous when it is done in rooms that are
adequately closed off and isolated from other
parts of the workplace, and when:
(a) an adequate and efficient exhaust system
is provided for each cleaning machine;
(b) the workplace is provided with a ventilation system that conveys the dust to the
exterior of the building;
(c) adequate protective masks are provided
for the workers;
(d) protective clothing is provided for the
workers.
Undertakings in which these conditions do
not exist are forbidden to employ workers for
more than six hours daily or 36 hours weekly
in the cleaning and dressing of carpets.
> Bolelin Oficial de la Repüblica Argentina, 20 July 1044, Vol. J,II,
No. 14955, p. fi.
LACQUERING REGULATIONS.
GAZETTED 30 J U N E 1944 '
The regulations lay down requirements for
mechanical exhaust equipment, non-combustible
construction of lacquering equipment and other
fire precautions.
CANADA
Alberta
REGULATIONS
GOVERNING
THE
ERECTION,
OPERATION AND PUBLIC SAFETY OF ENTERTAINMENT HALLS, PLACES OF AMUSEMENT, T H E A TRES, MOTION PICTURE THEATRES AND M O TION PICTURE EQUIPMENT, ETC.
DATED 19 JULY 19442
These regulations include very detailed provisions concerning projection rooms and the
qualifications of projectionists. For projection
rooms requirements are laid down as to structural details, ventilation, fire extinguishers,
projectors, rewind rooms, film containers, electrical equipment and battery rooms.
1
New South Wales Government Gazette, 30 June 1044, p. 1100.
• The Alberta Gazette, 31 July 1944, p. 027.
Ontario
REGULATIONS UNDER THE THEATRES AND C I N E MATOGRAPHS ACT.
D A T E D 11 JULY
19441
The matters dealt with in the numerous provisions of these regulations include structural
requirements, fire precautions, electrical equipment, the storage and handling of film and the
qualifications and duties of projection and
electrical staff.
REGULATIONS CONCERNING THE CONTROL OF
2
D U S T IN FACTORIES. D A T E D 18 AUGUST 1944
These regulations are chiefly concerned with
abrasive blasting but also deal generally with
dust removal, ventilation, masks and maintenance of equipment.
Quebec
AMENDMENTS TO THE QUEBEC PUBLIC HEALTH
3
ACT 1941. D A T E D 12 FEBRUARY 1944
An Order in Council (No. 479) of 12 February
1944 amends several chapters of the Quebec
Public Health Act, including Chapter XI on
industrial establishments. This is now divided
into seven sections and seventy-three articles.
The sections are entitled: I. General regulations
applicable to all industries; II. Control of occupational diseases; III. Special measures relative
to industries in which workmen are exposed to
dusts considered dangerous to health; IV.
Measures relating to masks used in industry;
V. Measures relating to industrial poisoning;
VI. Special measures relating to industries
making use of benzol and its derivatives; VII.
Special measures relating to industries involving
the handling of lead and its compounds.
The general regulations relate mainly to
sanitation, ventilation, lighting, cleanliness and
dusts.
Section I I I deals with physical requirements,
physical and radiological examinations, removal
of dust, and protective equipment.
Under
Article 40, the head of every industrial establishment concerned must appoint a competent and
responsible person to inspect and repair exhaust
pipes, respiratory masks and all other protective
equipment. This person is to teach employees
how to use the equipment and how to supervise
its use, repair and maintenance.
1
The Ontario Gazette, 22 July 1944, p. 7'>7.
' Idem, 26 August 1944, p. 935.
1
Quebec Official Gazette, 3 June 1944, p. 1230.
139
Under Article 40 the employer himself or a
competent person appointed by him must
periodically inspect the masks provided for the
employees; the inspection must cover cleanliness,
the setting of the filter, possible defects in
various parts of the masks, adaptation of the
mask to the face, head and body of the employee, the functioning of the valves, and the
other accessories. The inspection must be made
at least once a month for dust masks and once
a week for masks used to protect against toxic
substances.
DENMARK
NOTIFICATION CONCERNING THE EQUIPMENT
AND U S E OF COMPRESSED A I R RECEIVERS,
HYDROPHORES AND OTHER CONTAINERS WITH
A I R UNDER PRESSURE. D A T E D 2 MARCH 19441
The provisions of this notification regulate
the design, construction, installation, use, testing and registration of stationary compressed
air receivers and also transportable receivers
for tools, operating appliances, brakes, etc.
FINLAND
ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND
INDUSTRY CONCERNING THE STORAGE, H A N D LING AND TRANSPORT OF HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
CELLULOID THAT IS TEMPORARILY REMOVED
FROM ITS REGULAR STOREPLACE.
D A T E D 27 MARCH 19442
Under this Order certain exemptions from
the regulations of 23 February 1934, concerning the storage, handling and transport of highly
flammable celluloid are allowed in respect of
temporary stores while war conditions exist.
Storage buildings of wood may be used if
they are at least 40 m from the nearest dwelling.
No other materials may be stored in the building.
For storage, the-regulation boxes must be used
or else wooden boxes with tongue and groove
joints with a lid and holding not more than 50
kg of celluloid.
Rooms other than fireproof rooms may be used
for the handling of the celluloid if there are no
dwelling rooms in the building, and the room
is so situated that any combustion fumes cannot
impede rescue of the persons in the building.
i Lovtidenden A. 19U.No. 8. 8 March 1944, p. 98.
F'inlands Forfattningssainling, No. 239, 1944, p. 419.
2
140
The doors must open outwards and it must be
possible for them to be opened easily from the
inside even by persons with injured hands. In
such rooms there must not be more than 25 kg
of highly flammable celluloid at any one time.
In rooms where celluloid is handled, for heating purposes use may be made, in addition to
central heating and electric heating installations
with external surfaces not heated above 75° C,
of stoves enclosed in masonry and with a grate
provided with a spark net and tight-closing
doors. There must also be a protective covering
on the floor in front of the stove. There must
be no celluloid in the room while the stove is
being heated up. While celluloid is being handled, the heated parts in the grate must be
protected by means of a fireproof guard. Only
electric lamps may be used for lighting.
ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
AND
PUBLIC
WORKS
CONCERNING
GARAGES
AND GENERATOR G A S VEHICLES IN THEM.
1 FEBRUARY 19441
The following are the principal provisions of
the Order:
In garages where generator-gas motor vehicles
are driven in with gas the air must be effectively
renewed either by natural draft or by a special
ventilation system. If a special ventilation
system is necessary, it must not communicate
with any other air ducts or flues in the building. If over the garage or directly connected
to it there are dwelling rooms or workrooms, the
roof and walls of the garage must- be tight.
On generator-gas vehicles that are driven
with gas into the garage it must be possible to
block all openings communicating with the
outside air. If the vehicle is kept in the garage
these openings must be closed tight. Further,
the garage must be ventilated as effectively as
possible until the production of gas in the
generator has ceased.
If either the garage or the vehicle does not
comply with the above requirements the vehicle
must be left in the open. It must be driven into
the garage with liquid fuel or be brought in
otherwise after the production of gas in the
generator has ceased. This requirement also
applies when the vehicle is brought for garaging
or "repairs into a garage that is also used as a
workroom.
The generator openings must not be opened
1
Finlande FörfaUningssamlinQ, No. 107, 1944, p. 241.
in the garage, and ash, slag or soot removed,
before the generator has completely cooled and
been cleared of gas either in the open with the
help of the starting fan, or if the vehicle has
been kept in the garage, with the use, for at
least three minutes, of a gas exhaust with an
outlet in the open. For ventilation the generator's filling hatch must be left ajar.
The engine may only be started in the garage
with liquid fuel. Generators may only be lighted
in the open. If there is no liquid fuel available
and no means of getting the vehicle out of the
garage, the generator may be lighted in the
garage and the engine started with gas. But
the generator set, as a whole, must be under
reduced pressure and the gas from the starting
fan and the engine exhaust must be effectively
led into the open without, however, causing any
harm in the surroundings.
Engine heaters using solid fuel may only be
used in the garage if they are under suitable
ventilation equipment. Engine heaters must be
so constructed and maintained that they do not
create any fire risk either for the vehicle or for
the surroundings.
All garages must be registered with the communal industrial inspectors and all accidents
arising out of the garaging, use or repair of
generator-gas vehicles must be immediately
Ireported to the police, who will undertake the
'necessary investigations.
ACT CONCERNING INSPECTION OF QUARRIES FOR
CERTAIN MINERALS. DATED 4 FEBRUARY
19441
Under this Act the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry is made responsible for the supervision of safety in quarrying for limestone,
dolomite, magnesite, quartz, feldspar, granite
and other assimilable minerals in underground
workings, and for the necessary inspections.
The Act also applies to opencast workings in
which any wall exceeds 10 m in height and the
work is mechanised, or the total production is
at least 10,000 tons a year or, in the case of
seasonal undertakings, at least 1,000 tons a
month.
In all these undertakings the employer must
see that the safety of workers and other persons
is not imperilled; that mechanical, hygiene and
other installations and also, tools, are in proper
condition; and that regulations concerning their
construction and use and also concerning roads,
explosives and methods of operation as well as
i Idem. No. 10!, 1944, p. 23S.
141
L
all other regulations concerning the protection
of life and property are observed.
Women may not be employed on manual
work underground.
Employers must submit a plan annually to
the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showing the work done during the preceding 12
months, and must also communicate statistical
and other information required by the quarry
inspectorate. Underground quarries may not
be abandoned before the plan has been submitted to the Ministry and approved.
REGULATIONS FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF 7 HE
ACT CONCERNING INSPECTION OF QUARÜIES
FOR CERTAIN MINERALS.
D A T E D 4 FEBRUARY
19441
explosives and other work are so carried
on that, having regard to the nature of
the work and the conditions in which it is
performed, everything is done that can
reasonably be considered necessary for the
protection of the workers against the risks
of accident and disease.
Electrical equipment is made subject to instructions to be issued by the inspectorate.
Other provisions of the regulations deal in
detail with inspection procedure and quarry
plans.
GREAT BRITAIN
T H E PETROLEUM SPIRIT (CANALS) ORDER,
D A T E D 31 M A Y
The regulations assign supervision and inspection of the quarries covered by the Act to
the Quarry Office of the Ministr}' of Commerce
and Industry.
In these quarries the employer must see that:
(1) the work is directed by a person familiar
with it;
(2) the method of extraction cannot endanger
the quarry;
(3) the pillars and intermediate walls required
for the safety of the work are sufficiently
solid, that the necessary supports are installed where required and that all other
statutory measures are taken to ensure
safety;
(4) the structures, installations and machines
are suitable and kept in such condition that
accidents cannot occur as a result of breakage or defect;
(5) adequate ventilation and lighting are provided; and
(6) the relevant regulations and instructions
are exactly complied with.
Further, the employer may be required to
see that:
(1) effective measures are taken to prevent
the creation of dust dangerous to health;
(2) the workers are provided with the clothes
and equipment required by the work;
(3) the necessary safety equipment for the
prevention of falls of ground is installed
and properly maintained;'and
(4) extraction, loading, transport, handling of
'Finlande Förfatlninoaeamlina, No. 102, 1944, p. 237.
1944.
19441
These regulations apply to the loading and
unloading, storage and conveyance of petroleum
spirit on canals. They describe various precautions for the prevention of fire and explosion.
T H E GOVERNMENT EXPLOSIVES (CANALS)
2
ORDER, 1944. D A T E D 31 M A Y 1944
The regulations deal in detail with the loading, unloading, storage and conveyance of ammunition and explosives on canals.
D i s t r i c t of C o l u m b i a
SAFETY STANDARDS—CONSTRUCTION.
EFFECTIVE 20 JULY 1944
These comprehensive and voluminous regulations are grouped in seven parts as follows: 1.
General (strength and security of equipment,
quality of materials, hygiene facilities, personal
protective equipment, first aid, fire prevention,
etc.); 2. Protective construction (railings, toeboards, etc.); 3. Ladders (various types); 4.
Scaffolds (various types); 5. Temporary floors,
platforms, passageways; 6. Mechanical and
electrical equipment (hoisting equipment, woodworking equipment, etc.); and 7. Miscellaneous
operations (excavation, demolition, explosives
and blasting, steel erection). The regulations
are accompanied by a handy index and useful
drawings of scaffolds, knots, excavation timbering, etc.
1
2
Idem, 1944, No. 642.
142
AUSTRALIA
TABLE I
S o u t h Australia
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE FACTORIES AND STEAM
BOILERS DEPARTMENT,
1943
Number
Number
of
of
premises
emwhere
ployees accidents
occurred
of
Death
Tempo- Perrary
manent
The general trend of factory accidents in the
three years 1941-1943, is shown by the following figures:
of
Extent of
disability
Disease
Total
number
of
accidents
Lead poisoning
Anthrax
Carbon disulphide poisoning.. .
12
1
1
5
Pathological disturbances
caused by radium
Poisoning by hydrocarbons.. . .
Pneumoconiosis caused by industrial dusts
17
Total
1941
2,141
40,012
98
7
449
1942
2,001
38,134
81
3
456
1943
2,061
40,807
69
0
361
1
1
1
36
16
7
18
8
Table II shows the industries and occupations
in which the four diseases accounting for the
greatest number of cases occurred.
TABLE II
Thus, there was a very considerable reduction in accident frequency in 1943 notwithstanding an increase in employment. Data supplied
to the Inspectorate are insufficient to allow of
the compilation of severity rates.
Of the 361 factory accidents in 1943, 72 are
described äs machinery and 289 as non-machinery accidents. The engineering industry
(7,068 employees) accounted for 29 machinery
and 40 non-machinery accidents; and heat,
light and power (employment figure not given)
for three machinery and 117 non-machinery
accidents.
The report does not include accident cause
statistics.
BELGIUM
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES,
19431
During the year 1943 the Belgian Accident
Insurance Fund (Fonds de Prévoyance de Belgique) received 275 claims for compensation
from victims of occupational diseases. Of these,
62 cases only were granted indemnity.
Table I shows the occupational diseases involved in the 62 cases and the extent to which
they affected the victims (e.g., temporary or
permanent disability, or death).
1
Report of the Governing Board of the Accident Insurance Fund for
the year 1943 (Revue du Travail de Belgique, No. 3, March 1944, p. 99).
Extent of disability
Nature of disease and
type of industry or
occupation
Temporary
disability
Lead Poisoning
Lead works
Work with blow-pipes.
Printing
Painting
4
1
3
1
Accumulator industry.
Other industries
1
2
Permanent
disability
Death
1
1
12
1
1
Skin Diseases
Tar distilling
5
—
—
Total
5
—'
—
Total
Poisoning by
hydrocarbons
Explosives industry.. .
Garages
Shoe factories
Photogravure
Printing
Spray painting
Total
2
1
1
8
1
1
3
17
Pneumoconiosis
Refractory products..
Cleaning of castings. .
Ceramics (tiles)
Pottery industry
Engraving
Quarries
—
Total
—
—
—
—
—
3
1
8
2
1
1
1
5
16
7
1
143
OFFICIAL REPORTS, E T C .
G R E A T BRITAIN
ACCIDENTS IN M I N E S
the Statistical Digest from 1938 issued by the
Ministry of Fuel and Power.'
1938-1943
The following accident figures are taken from
, Cmd . 6538. Published by H.M. stationery office, London, 1944.
T A B L E I . N U M B E R O F P E R S O N S KILLED A N D I N J U R E D AT MINES U N D E R
THE COAL" MINES ACT FROM
1938
Surface
Underground
Year
(1)
By explosions
of firedamp
or coal dust
(2)
By falls of
ground
(3)
Shaft
• accidents
(4)
Haulage
accidents
(5)
Miscellaneous
accidents
(6)
Total
(7)
Total from
all causes
(8)
782
722
836
838
799
655
76
61
87
87
78
58
Total
underground
and
surface
(9)
Number of Persons Killed
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
90
51
31
72
99
21
408
406
513
502
446
380
15
24
21
19
22
27
194
172
193
190
168
159
75
69
78
55
64
68
858
783
923
925
877
713
Number of Persons Injured and Disabled for more than 3 days
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
101
62
55
74
84
45,301
46,121
52,027
55,423
58,985
312
353
263
213
227
37,876
36,776
34,102
41,064
34,106
45,202
35,322
51,523
37,003
53,709
Not yet available
120,366
121,702
131,653
142,555
150,008
11,410
12,370
14,735
15,890
16,631
131,776
134,072
146,388
158,445
166,639
T A B L E II. DEATH A N D INJURY RATES PER 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 MANSHIFTS WORKED AT MINES U N D E R THE
MINES ACT ( E X C L U D I N G THE STRATIFIED IRONSTONE MINES I N
CLEVELAND,
COAL
LINCOLN
A N D NORTHAMPTONSHIRE), FROM 1 9 3 8
Surface
. Underground
Ye
(1)
By explosions
of firedamp
or coal dust
(2)
By falls of
ground
(3)
Miscellaneous
accidents
(6)
Total
(7)
Total from
all causes
(8)
Total
underground
and
surface
(9)
0.05
0.04
0.05
0.04
0.04
0.05
0.50
0.46
0.53
0.57
0.54
0.45
0.15
0.11
0.16
0.16
0.14
0.11
0.41
0.37
0.43
0.46
0.43
0.36
23.69
24.38
21.64
26.03
28.91
21.88
24.24
35.27
25.09
37.66
Not yet availa Die
77.50
77.13
84.33
97.73
101.57
22.01
22.96
26.36
29.33
'30.39
63.60
63.34
69.05
79.18
82.30
78.00
77.59
84.86
98.30
102.11
22.16
23.07
26.52
29.49
30.53
64.01
63.71
69.48
79.64
82.76
Shaft
accidents
(4)
Haulage
accidents
(S)
Death Rates
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
0.06
0.03
0.02
0.05
0.07
0.01
0.26
0.26
0.33
0.34
0.30
0.26
0.01
0.02
0.01
0.01
0.02
0.02
0.12
0.11
0.12
0.13
0.11
0.11
Injurj' Rates
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
0.06
0.04
0.04
0.05
0.06
29.17
29.20
33.33
38.02
38.61
0.20
0.22
0.17
0.15
0.15
Death and Injury Rates
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
0.12
0.07
0.06
0.10
0.13
29.43
29.46
33.66
38.36
38.91
0.21
0.24
0.18
0.16
0.17
23. SI
24.43
21.75
26.07
22.00
28.96
24.37
35.31
25.20
37.70
Not yet availa ble
Note: The rates for underground and surface accidents are based upon the number of manshifts worked below and above ground, respectively.
144
I N D U S T R I A L SAFETY S U R V E Y
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE C H I E F INSPECTOR OF
FACTORIES,
19431
The Chief Inspector's report is again mainly
concerned with industrial health and safety.
The year 1943 was a period of stabilisation of
manpower; recruitment in previous years had
been so thorough that the only source of new
labour remaining consisted of women available
for part-time work. There has, however, been
a further transfer of women to the more dangerous munitions industries. The proportion of
very young and very old workers is still increasing. Shortage of supervisory staff continues to
be acute.
There is evidence from many districts that the
industrial changes of the war period will react
strongly on conditions and standards in the
older staple trades. Many of their workers have
had experience of conditions in the newer
factories, and will not readily accept a return
to the congested workrooms and poor standards
of amenities which have been common in many
of these older industries. These industries recognise that improvements will be necessary, and
discussions are now proceeding between the
Factory Department and the accredited representatives of both sides to consider the best means
of overcoming the technical difficulties that stand
in the way even with the utmost goodwill of
all concerned.
Noteworthy events in the history of the Factory Department during the year were the Industrial Health Conference convened by the
Minister of Labour at London in April, and the
appointment of an Industrial Health Advisory
Committee 2 to advise on technical and scientific
problems. Related to this Committee are advisory panels on dust hazards, dermatitis and
ophthalmology. A similar panel on radiological
problems is to be formed.
Further, on the advice of the Advisory Committee the Factory Department established a
branch for the collection and dissemination of
scientific and technical information, etc., relating
to industrial health problems.
With a view to post-war developments, plans
are being considered for communal or multioccupancy factory buildings. I t is hoped that
these factories satisfying the latest standards of
technique, hygiene and welfare will attract small
firms who have hitherto often been driven by
» Cmd. 6563. For 1042, see Industrial Safely Survey, Vol. XIX,
No. 4, p. 164.
" See Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XIX, N'o. 3, p. 101.
economic necessity to occupy old and dilapidated
premises.
Accident Prevention
General.
For the first time since 1938 there was a decrease in the total number of accidents reported,
and the decrease in the number of fatal accidents
which began in 1942 continued into 1943. In all,
there were 1,220 fatal and 309,924 non-fatal
accidents as against 1,363 and 313,267 respectively in 1942. The decrease in the fatal accidents
represented 10.5 per cent, and in the non-fatal,
1.1 per cent.
The falling off was almost everywhere greater
in the later months of the year when hours of
employment were being widely reduced and this
may have been one of the main causes of the decrease. Shortening the working week not only
reduced the time of exposure to risk but also
reduced fatigue and the tendency to rashness,
common towards the end of a long working day.
One large factory found that 75 per cent, of its
accidents occurred between 4.30 and 6.45 p.m.
It seems fairly certain that the shortening of the
working week has reduced the ratio of accidents
to output. Another reason for the decrease in
accidents is seen in the increasing stabilisation of
the labour force. On the other hand, several
factors that increase accident risk in wartime are
still operative. First among them is the difficulty
of obtaining materials and equipment and the
shortage of skilled maintenance and supervisory
staffs. All districts reported accidents resulting
from improvised machines or machines doing unaccustomed work without proper safeguards and
from guards or parts of machines being out of
repair.
Nevertheless, in spite of these very real difficulties, accidents have been kept in check; inspectors report from all districts that fencing of
machines and other safety measures have improved during the year. The greater stabilisation of production has given firms an opportunity
to bring their fencing up to standard and,
perhaps best of all, both managements and the
Government Departments concerned with production are much more alive to the problems of
accident prevention; this has led to closer cooperation with inspectors and from it may grow
another change of attitude derived from wartime
experiences.
The percentage distribution of all accidents by
main causes groups was as follows:
TABLE I
Causation
Per cent.
Power-driven machinery
Struck by falling body
Persons falling
Stepping on and striking against objects.
Handling goods
All other causes
16.7
8.2
12.0
12.8
8.7
26.1
15.5
The main causes of fatal accidents are shown
in table II.
TABLE II
Causation
Lifting machinery
Power-driven machinery
than lifting machinery)
Transport
Struck by falling body
Persons falling
All other causes
(other
Total
No.
Per cent.
132
10.8
115
139
126
400
308
9.4
11.5
10.3
32.8
25.2
1,220
Adult males incurred 200,651 accidents, adult
females 73,065, male young persons 27,623 and
female young persons 9,805. As compared with
1938, these figures represent an increase of 49
per cent, for adult males and 400 per cent, for
adult females, 21 per cent, for male young persons and 26 per cent, for female young persons.
The corresponding increases in 1942 were 51
per cent., 389 per cent., 27 per cent, and 34 per
cent., so that while the number of accidents to
adults continued to rise, there was a substantial
falling off in accidents to young persons.
Women.
Table III gives information on accidents
occurring to women in the industries causing the
most accidents to women.
1938
1942
1943
489
6,824
7,766
897
650
907
43
148
7,415
24,907
2,671
4,735
1,215
8,348
23,435
2,999
6,612
1,492
Metal extracting, conversion,
Engineering work (other
than machinery making).
Machinery making
Light metal trades
Aircraft
General woodwork
The proportion of accidents due to powerdriven machines in the case of women was 19.8
per cent, but only 14.4 per cent, in the case of
men. Nevertheless, the main hazards of industry
were being carried by men as is evident from the
fact that the fatal accidents to men totalled 1,076
as compared with 63 to women, and the accident
rate for men per 1,000 employed was as near as
could be estimated still almost double the rate
for women.
The Chief Inspector refers once more to the
risks of hair becoming entangled with moving
machinery. He observes that in spite of helpful
press notices fashions in hairclressing remained
about as unfortunate as they could be for a
period when so many women were working in
machine shops. The Chief Inspector, however,
still finds himself unable to support a demand
for legal enforcement of the wearing of caps by
all women workers in certain trades. He contends that while a cap can be a valuable additional safeguard which women should be encouraged to adopt, yet, even if properly worn, it
is nothing like as complete a safeguard as is
sometimes supposed. A revolving shaft or drill
can pick up a cap as it does any other article of
clothing; the only advantage of the cap is that
it may prevent the first pick up of projecting
curls. If a machine is dangerous to uncovered
hair, it is almost certainly dangerous in other
ways. Some factory managements are only too
prone to blame workers for not wearing caps
rather than to take adequate precautions to see
that the machine is safe in itself. If fencing is
needed, it is the machine that should be guarded
rather than the worker.
Unfortunately these views have had plenty of
practical confirmation. In two accidents on drills
it was proved that the girls were both wearing
their caps immediately before the accidents. In
an accident on a stockbar of a lathe where the
result was complete scalping, the cap was found
wound round the stockbar under the hair.
Young Workers.
TABLE III
Industry
145
Although the actual number of accidents to
young workers was less in 1943 than in 1942, as
far as could be estimated the accident rate per
thousand employed for boys and girls is about
the same as last year and it is thought that the
rate per thousand for boys is now about six above
that for men, while the rate for girls was about
seven below that for women. The report remarks
146
that the boy is the main problem largely because
in war years he is often asked to carry a heavy
weight of responsibility at an early age. The
Chief Inspector again takes the opportunity of
impressing on managements the importance of
training, which not only tends to prevent accidents but also makes for increased interest, less
boredom and better work.
Elderly Workers.
AVartime conditions are also showing themselves at the older end of the age scale. In one
district 7 per cent, of the accidents happened to
workers over 60 and included one to a fitter of 82.
The proportion of mechanical accidents to these
older workers is low, but they are naturally more
liable to falls and accidents due to lessened
agility. Accidents due to weight lifting have been
noticeable among older male workers, young
persons and women. In one locality seven per
cent, of the accidents were due to weight lifting ;
the great majority of these were to men over 50
and were due to war conditions encouraging
elderly men to attempt jobs beyond their
strength. It is surprising how frequently accidents of this type reveal that jobs are undertaken
without the foreman and those responsible
having any idea of the weights involved. A young
person strained himself attempting to lift a box
that did not look heavy, but was found to weigh
80 lbs. Another problem was raised where
women were trucking sacks of 1]^, cwts., by the
sudden appearance of sacks weighing 3 cwts.
each.
Machinery
Accidents.
There have been a number of accidents as a
result of abrasive wheels bursting while in motion, and in several cases it was found that they
were unknowingly being driven at a speed higher
than that for which they were designed. In the
Midlands a man was killed when a wheel burst;
it was found that the wheel had been borrowed
from another firm, insecurely mounted and
driven at 2,500 r.p.m. when its safe speed was
1,800. There were many bursts in another factory which were found to be due to a wrong
batch of wheels having been delivered.
Metal-working machinery accidents have, as
might be expected, increased sharply in numbers
with the war. Thus milling machine accidents
in 1943 increased by 180 per cent, over the 1938
figures and power press accidents by 145 per cent.
The increases over the same period of accidents
on woodworking machinery were 16 per cent., on
lifting machinery 59 per cent., due to explosions
102 per cent., and due to falls 73 per cent.
The number of accidents on milling machines
has fallen slightly for all types of workers, but
still remains too high. Fencing is often unsatisfactory and, still more often, badly adjusted. At
a number of visits cutters have been observed
guarded on the down-running side only, and
managers have expressed the opinion that there
is no danger on the up-running side. This is not
borne out by experience, and many serious accidents have happened as a result of a worker's
hand or arm coming into contact with the cutters
on the up-running side and being pulled over the
cutter. The Chief Inspector expresses the opinion
that accidents on milling cutters will not be overcome until the machine is radically altered' and
attention is given to much more than the guard.
It is hoped to set up a committee to consider this
question.
An analysis of the accidents on power presses
shows that 218 occurred on press tools that were
not fitted with any guards whatever. This state
of affairs was largely due to the fact that presses
were still coming into use for war production
and were put to work before a suitable guard
was provided. As regards the long technical
fight over the relative advantages of fixed, automatic and interlocked guards, it appears to be
generally accepted that a fixed guard must be
used wherever practicable. It is a common assertion that efficient fixed guards mean loss in production but actual experience shows that once
operators have become used to the new working
methods entailed by these guards, the loss of
production is negligible, and such loss as occurs
is accepted as being well worthwhile in the
interests of safety. Further technical progress
has been made in the perfecting of interlocked
guards and the Chief Inspector feels that there
are now prospects of producing guards that with
maintenance and attention will altogether eliminate serious press accidents.
Various committees whose work on the different aspects of
the problem was suspended at the outbreak of
war are to be revived.
Shipbuilding and Ship
Repairing.
The total number of accidents reported in 1943
as occurring in shipyards and on ships under
repair in dry and wet docks was 20,868, of which
133 were fatal; this represents an increase of 8.5
per cent, on the total figures for the previous
year.
The increase appears to correspond
approximately with the increase in the rnanhours worked and does not therefore indicate any
substantial change in the accident rate.
New methods of construction have brought
new problems often involving an increase in the
weight and bulk of the loads handled by cranes.
An analysis of crane failures, however, does not
reveal any directly due to this cause—another
proof of the high standard of crane construction
and the high technical skill generally found in
the handling and use of cranes in shipyards.
The main risk in shipbuilding is from falls of
persons and 20 per cent, of the accidents are due
to this cause. These falls are through openings
and into holds, on the flat or over steps and odd
obstructions. Too often, they are dismissed as
due merely to "workers' carelessness" and
nothing further is done about them. Undoubtedly, carelessness is a big factor, and the increasing proportion of less-skilled labour together
with longer hours accentuates it at the present
time. Yet, once the elements of the problem are
grasped, accidents attributed to "the human
factor" are just as amenable to determined
treatment by the management as are accidents
due to mechanical causes.
An important factor making for accidents on
ships is that there are often different groups of
tradesmen who are working in close proximity
under congested conditions, but relatively independently of each other. A group of workers may
be alive to risks to their own folk, but it requires
a much greater effort of imagination to avoid
endangering other groups of workers. A gang of
electricians may start a job entailing opening a
hatch cover and leave it for a few minutes while
in the course of work. Another gang, perhaps
joiners or plumbers, who may have been working
in the vicinity for some time, pass by; they are
unaware of the unaccustomed hazard, and an
accident results. A large proportion of shipbuilding accidents, especially those involving falls,
happen in this way—and it is almost impossible
to disentangle responsibility afterwards from
among the various groups of tradesmen in the
area.
The only method of reducing accidents of
this kind is by proper supervision. This is required by the Shipbuilding Regulations and in
many cases is well done. To be effective, however, the "Safety Officer" (by whatever name he
147
is called) must have adequate time and authority. He must be able to call on the prompt service of craftsmen to ensure that proper safeguards are maintained. The task of a safety
officer on shipbuilding or repairing work is no
light one. There may be four or five separate
contractors, each employing several gangs of
tradesmen working on one ship. It is quite inadequate to trust to proper supervision by, say,
a charge-hand carpenter, who is preoccupied
with other matters and who is not in any case in
a position to secure the co-operation of other
contractors. On the other hand, a full-time
official with ample time to wander around the
jobs but no power to get things done is not in a
much better plight.
Real progress has been made during the year
in safety organisation in the shipbuilding and
ship repairing industries throughout the country.
In London, for example, the employers' association concerned has started holding periodic
meetings on accident prevention, and most of
the larger firms now have safety officers. Accident
reports are centralised and statistics compiled.
Similar arrangements exist in Scotland. Meetings of safety officers have continued on the Tyne
with good results and a beginning has been made
on the Mersey.
Carbon Monoxide.
Cases of carbon monoxide poisoning have
occurred at blast furnaces and producers. Gas
works and coke ovens have a good record in this
respect but here the gas has a much lower carbon
monoxide content.
Recently accidents due to carbon monoxide
have increased but without any one cause being
specially to blame. Generally speaking the increase may be ascribed to the tendency of operatives to take greater risks in the rush of war
work and to the neglect of the usual peacetime
precautions in repair work.
With blast furnace and producer gas the greatest danger lies in distribution and use; the chief
causes of accidents are defects in water seals;
general leakage from gas-fired plant; inadequate
isolation of plant under repair; lack of personal
protection during repairs although gas was
known to be escaping; and unsatisfactory siting
of blow-off and purge pipes. The careless mistakes so often found to be made during repair of
plant require the serious consideration of all
concerned.
148
A number of cases in recent years have arisen
from the exhaust gas from internal combustion
engines temporarily installed in confined spaces
and generally used for driving pumps.
Safety Organisation in Factories.
The Chief Inspector again refers to the need
for reducing the number of non-machinery accidents, which constitute 83.3 per cent, of the
total, and states that the line of attack most
likely to give results is the setting up of safety
organisations within the factories. Such organisations, however, should not proceed on the
assumption that all accidents are due to the
workers.
There are, in fact, three stages in preventing
accidents:
(1) Find out your facts—where do accidents
happen ? (To answer this requires proper statistics.) How do they happen ? (This means careful
investigation.)
(2) Make sure that processes and equipment
are as safe as they possibly can be.
(3) Educate the worker, and especially the
newcomer, in proper methods.
The value of the third stage depends completely on the adequacy of the first two.
The groups within the factory who may exert
the greatest influence in preventing accidents
are the foremen and the middle supervisory
grades. They have the day-to-day oversight of
jobs; good housekeeping, clear gangways and
safe tools are all matters on which their influence
may turn the scale between dangerous and safe
working. Through the training department of
the Ministry of Labour which has organised
training courses for foremen, inspectors have
been given the opportunity of addressing people
taking the courses on the provisions of the Factories Act and on the prevention of accidents.
Each lecture has been followed by discussion and
the Chief Inspector has no doubt as to their
value to the inspector as well as to the foremen.
Fourteen such courses were given in 1943 and
they are continuing. In addition about 100 other
lectures were given by inspectors to a variety of
bodies including Trades Councils and trade
union branches. The growing interest of such
bodies in the technical details that make for
industrial health and safety is not only of assistance to all concerned but acts as a real stimulus
to inspectors.
Collaboration between the Factory Department and the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Accidents in the special campaign for the prevention of accidents has continued. There are
now well over 6,000 firms who take advantage of
the services provided by the Royal Society for
the purposes of this campaign.
The weekly posters were issued to date and the
standard of design and production has been
maintained. This standard has not only killed
complaints, except in a few isolated factories,
but has attracted considerable attention abroad.
Samples have been included in exhibitions in the
U.S.S.R., U.S.A., Sweden and South America,
and special copies have been sent on urgent request to Australia, New Zealand, Palestine,
Spain and elsewhere. The issues of the six standard booklets now exceed a million and a half,
and over 180,000 of the slogan slips for insertion
in pay envelopes have been issued.
Two courses for safety officers were held
during the year. As the main object of the campaign is to establish a trained safety officer in as
many factories as possible, these courses are of
great importance. That they are appreciated is
shown by the continuous waiting list and the
fact that large firms send new trainees to practically every course.
There was considerable activity shown by the
local groups throughout the year including a day
conference at Birmingham that attracted considerable publicity. Another feature that shows
signs of developing is that of "safety weeks" run
by large firms—one of considerable value was
held in South Wales during the autumn.
The object of the campaign is to keep alive
the interest in accident prevention of individuals
and committees in the actual factory and in
this it has been successful. An encouraging sign
is the increased interest taken in accident prevention by high executives of certain firms,
because without their interest at the top it is
difficult for the safety organisation to function
successfully. Another agency through which
success would certainly come, if developed, is
the interest of particular trades in this subject
through their joint machinery. An outstanding example is the work of the Factories Committee of the National Joint Industrial Council
for the Flour Milling Industry. This Committee works in the closest touch with the Factory
Department and is supplied yearly with a close
scrutiny of all accidents in flour mills; its work,
which began 16 years ago, resulted in an im-
149
mediate fall in accidents and during these years
the number of accidents per year has been
halved. Similar close collaboration occurs in
the cotton trade.
Radio-active Substances and
X-Rays.
The extending use of radio-active substances
in industry led to arrangements being made for
the carrying out of tests by the National Physical
Laboratory. The initial test depends on each
worker carrying a small photographic film in
the breast or waistcoat pocket for one week.
If this initial film test indicates a dose which
approaches or exceeds the tolerance value, and
this is confirmed by a repeat test, an inspection
of the X-ray equipment and an investigation
of the worker's technique is advised and is
carried out by the Laboratory if desired. The
tests have revealed that about 90 per cent, of
the workers of the firms taking advantage of
the service received less than one tenth of the
tolerance amount of radiation during the period
of test, and in only four cases have doses in
excess of one roentgen per week been recorded.
This shows a generally satisfactory state of
affairs, but it is hoped that all users will take
advantage of the service. The arrangements
with the National Physical Laboratory have
lately been extended to cover a voluntary test
on similar lines for processes in which radioactive substances are in use.
Dangerous and Unhealthy
Substances.
The report briefly discusses the nature of
the risks and the measures taken to eliminate
them in connection with magnesium, aluminium,
leaded petrol, petrol, pitch (in patent fuel
works), flax dust and foundry dust.
Heating, Ventilation,
Lighting.
Under these heads the report deals at length
with the defects arising out of the blackout and
shortage of fuel, equipment and labour. I t is
pointed out that general ventilation, however
good, is no substitute for local exhaust ventilation in so far as concerns the removal of dust
and fumes.
Interest in the use of colour in the factory is
growing and it is hoped that those concerned
will continue to experiment in various directions
and to persuade managements to try out schemes
designed to obtain definite results. Colour care-
fully applied can do much to relieve eye-strain,
to establish the best "seeing" conditions and
may go some way towards the prevention of accidents. There can be no doubt of its effect in
relieving drabness and it may therefore be
valuable also as a means of lessening fatigue.
Many firms, particularly in the chemical industries, use distinctive colours in picking out
certain pipes that have to be traced throughout
the works and suggestions are now being put
forward for dealing with definite hazards in the
same way. Distinctive colours are also suggested
for their reflectance value on machinery and for
relief in canteens, corridors, stairways and the
like.
Industrial
Health
The Senior Medical Inspector expresses the
view that safety, health and welfare are interrelated. Although very great efforts have been
made to improve industrial health, much still
remains to be done. There is, however, a shortage of qualified staff and there is also a comparative lack of technical knowledge. Industrial
health is an applied science and its successful
application will depend on the collaboration
not only of many technical agencies—medical,
psychological, engineering, chemical, physical,
etc.—but also of the employers and workers
themselves. There is evidence that industry is
becoming more health-conscious.
Industrial Diseases.
The report discusses cases of poisoning by
lead, arsenic, mercury, aniline, benzene and
manganese; and also anthrax, chrome ulceration,
epitheliomatous ulceration, radio-active substances, dermatitis, etc.
Fumes and Gases.
Cases of gassing were most numerous with
carbon monoxide, nitrous fumes, trichlorethylene, chlorine, nickel carbonyl and sulphur
dioxide. These and other cases due to other
substances are briefly discussed.
Medical
Supervision.
At the end of 1943 there were 174 doctors
exercising full-time medical supervision in 205
factories and 744 doctors attending part-time
in 1,150 factories. In addition, about 8,400
nurses were employed in industrial nursing.
150
Great advances were made in medical supervision in dock areas; during the year three extensive services in the Manchester, Liverpool
and Clydeside areas came into operation. One
of the most essential and most successful features
of these medical services is the very close and
cordial working arrangements between the
docks' medical staffs and the local authorities,
hospitals and general practitioner services.
Plans are under active consideration for the
development of similar services in the London
and South Wales dock areas.
Health surveys have been carried out in
ordnance factories and special attention has
been paid to rehabilitation. Special workshops
have been set up in six of the larger factories
where operatives can woi'k in selected jobs
under close medical supervision until they reach
full productive capacity.
Silicosis and Asbestosis.
Summary information concerning the fatal
cases of silicosis and asbestosis brought to the
notice of the Factory Department and investigated since 1929 is given in the following table.
average duration of employment 11.7, and for
silicosis with tuberculosis the average age at
death was 45.4 and the average duration of employment 11.6 years. In this connection the
Chief Inspector remarks that it is becoming
abundantly clear that there is almost no article
requiring to be blasted that cannot be blasted
at least as well if not better with a non-siliceous
instead of a siliceous abrasive.
INDIA
ANNUAL
REPORT
OF THE
D u r a t i o n of e m p l o y m e n t
in years
INSPECTOR
19411
During the year 1941 the number of persons
employed in mines regulated by the Indian
Mines Act was 347,936 as against 328,196 in
the previous year. The distribution of men and
women workers on work underground, in open
workings and on the surface in 1940 and 1941
was as follows:
Men
1941
Number Average
of
age a t
death
deaths
CHIEF
OF M I N E S FOR THE YEAR
Women
1940-
1941
1940
Underground.. . . 165,356
In open workings 55,635
64,836
Surface
156,238
53,344
61,476
32,776
29,334
30,241
26,897
285,827
271,058
62,110
57,138
Longest Shortest Average
Totals
Silicosis
Silicosis
Silicosis with
tuberculosis...
Asbestosis
Asbestosis
Asbestosis with
tuberculosis...
801
57.2
62.0
1.5
34.1
859
53.3
67.0
0.7
31.4
118
46.4
48.0
0.5
15.1
62
39.0
29.0
0.8
10.4
Most of the silicosis cases, with or without
tuberculosis were accounted for by the pottery,
sandstone, and metal-grinding industries and
sandblasting. Both the average age at death
and the average duration of employment were
lowest in the manufacture of scouring powders
(eleven deaths from silicosis and five from silicosis with tuberculosis). For silicosis alone the
average age at death was 35.5 years and the
average duration of employment 8.5 years;
and for silicosis with tuberculosis the average
age at death was 36.4 and the average duration
of employment 6.2. Sandblasting (49 deaths
from silicosis and 76 from silicosis with tuberculosis) was not much better: for silicosis alone
the average age at death was 47.7 years and the
Fatal accidents totalled 260 in 1941, or one
less than in the previous year but 21 more than
the average number in the preceding five years.
Of these, 209 were caused by misadventure; 14
by the fault of the deceased; 6 by the fault of
fellow workers; 21 by the fault of subordinate
officials; and 7 by the fault of the management.
Three were due to faulty material.
In addition there were 1,457 serious accidents
involving injuries to 1,489 persons. In 1940
1,442 persons were involved in 1,410 serious
accidents. It is estimated that the extended
use of "bamboo safety hats" particularly in
depillaring areas has been instrumental in reducing the number of serious accidents. In Jharia
coalfields alone 32,541 of these hats were worn
during 1941, and a number of cases have been
recorded in which these hats have been the
means of preventing serious accidents. Small
pieces of roof stone falling from heights of as
1
Annual Re-port of the Chief Inspector of Mines in India for the Year
ending 31 December 1941, Calcutta, 1943; communication to the I.L.O. ;
for 1940. see Industrial Safety Survey, Vol. XVIII, No. 4, p. 147.
OFFICIAL BEPORTS, ETC.
much as 20 feet or more have inflicted fatal
injuries on workers unprotected by them. It is
recommended that they be used wherever
practicable.
During 1941, 1,214 mines were inspected,
many of them several times. Nearly all fatal
accidents, major serious accidents and complaints of breaches of regulations and rules
were investigated. Many inspections were made
at the invitation of mine-owners, superintendents and managers who wanted advice on safety
matters. A large number of inspections of the
sanitary conditions at mines were also made by
medical officers as ex-officio inspectors of mines.
FACTORY REPORT FOR THE YEAR
19421
The total number of operating factories in
India (i.e., both perennial and seasonal) increased from 11,868 in 1941 to 12,527 in 1942,
and the number of workers employed increased
from 2,155,900 to 2,280,600 during the. same
period. Expansion was greatest in industries
most concerned with the war effort. Miscellaneous factories also showed a considerable rate
of increase indicating that a large number of
factories producing new items had come into
existence.
Women, adolescents and children employed
in factories in 1942 numbered 261,704, 26,330
and 11,804, respectively, as against 262,132,
26,163 and 10,376 in the previous year.
Of the 12,527 factories in operation, 10,160
or about 81.1 per cent, were inspected in 1942.
The total number of accidents in factories
increased from 48,736 in 1941 to 54,174 in 1942.
The number of fatal accidents rose from 271
to 323, while serious accidents increased from
8,374 to 9,111. This general increase is largely
attributed to increased employment, longer
working hours and the employment of semitrained and sometimes untrained personnel.
The question of fencing dangerous machinery
and adopting other safety devices seems generally
to have received the attention of employers.
Shortage of materials, particularly iron bars,
and the employment of available staff on the
production of war materials resulted, however,
in a restriction in the construction of safeguards.
Several provinces commented on the fact that
no special efforts were made to encourage safety
habits among the workers.
1
Indian Labour Gazelle. Vol. 1, No. 8, Feb. 1944, and Vol. 1, No. 12,
June 1944.
151
UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA
REPORT OF THE M I N E R S ' PHTHISIS
1
BUREAU, 1939-1941
MEDICAL
The information given in this report relates,
inter alia, to special investigations, routine investigations and examinations, the incidence
of silicosis and the history of silicosis cases.
Since 1939 the Bureau has been housed in a
building of its own. At the time of writing the
report it had the clinical and radiographic
recordsof 177,000 Europeans and 48,880 Natives.
X-ray film records numbered approximately
1,000,000. Two X-ray installations of the latest
type with rotating anode tubes have been
acquired.
Special investigations were continued on the
correlation of the symptomatology, radiography
and pathology of silicosis; and primary cancer of
the lung in relation to silicosis.
Periodical examinations of miners have hitherto
been made every six months but in view of the
almost negligible incidence of silicosis among
men with less than six years service, it is considered that in their case an annual examination will suffice.
Among 29,817 European miners examined in
1940-1941, 557 old and new cases of silicosis
were detected, giving a general prevalence rate
of 18.67 per 1,000. There were 297 new cases
among 29,557 miners, a rate of 10.05 per 1,000.
The average age of new cases was 50.8 years.
In 1930-1931 the general prevalence rate was.
23.23, the rate of production of new cases 13.79
and the average age of new cases 45.6. The
lowest production rate was in 1937-1938 when
it was 7.03. Since then it has steadily risen.
In recent years the rate has been affected,
favourably, by the increase of relatively shortterm employment in the mines and, unfavourably, by the absence of some 3,000 miners on
military service. Since 1922-1923 the mean
duration of underground employment in all
new cases of silicosis has risen from 9 years 5
months to 19 years 8 months.
The incidence of new cases of silicosis among
machine drillers has declined substantially since
improved drills were introduced in 1926. Sample
examinations among miners with between 7
and 12 years service and employed over half
their time on machine work gave an estimated
silicosis rate of 28.8 per 1,000 over the period
i U.G. No. 18, 1944.
152
1929-1932, 5.8 over 1932-1935, 2.8 over 19351938, and 2.7 over 1938-1941.
Among the 359,710 native labourers employed
in 1940-1941 (275,500 underground) 465 cases
of silicosis were detected, equivalent to a general
prevalence rate of 1.29 (2.02 in 1930-1931).
There were 248 cases of tuberculosis with silicosis, a prevalence rate of 0.69 (1.30 in 19301931).
Tuberculosis alone occurred in 970
cases, a prevalence rate of 2.69 (3.27 in 19301931).
19421
In 1942 a total of 84,270 men were employed
in the stone quarrying industry in the United
States, as compared with 86,123 in 1941. Injuries from accidents in and about the quarries
and plants caused disability to 6,461 employees,
112 of whom died as a result of their injuries.
The accident frequency rate per million manhours was 35.73 as against 40.11 for the previous
year. The rise in the death rate per million manhours from 0.44 in 1941 to 0.62 in 1942 was
partly due to a major disaster in which 28 lives
were lost.
Of the 6,349 non-fatal injuries, ten resulted
in permanent total disability, 140 in permanent
partial disability and the remaining 6,199 in
temporary disability.
The frequency rates per type of quarry are
shown below :
Type of quarry
Cement rock
Granite
Limestone
Limestone (chief product lime)
Marble
Sandstone
Slate
Trap rock
Total
Killed
Injured
0.65
1.12
0.58
0.47
0.45
0.19
0.45
0.89
11.07
42.39
48.98
52.35
38.55
59.49
74.44
59.43
0.62
35.11
Open quarries accounted for 50 per cent, of
all non-fatal accidents although only approximately 37 per cent, of all workers were employed
in open-quarrying operations. The main causes
of open-quarrying accidents were: handling
materials, flying objects, falls of persons, falls
or slides of rock or overburden, machinery,
haulage and hand tools.
1
U.S.
DEPT.
OF THE
INTERIOR, BUREAU
OF
MINES:
Quarry
Accidents in the United States during the Calendar Year 194%. For 1941,
see Industrial Safety Survey. Vol. XIX, No. 4, p. 172.
Limestone
(lime)
Length
of
.
shift
Killed
6 hours... —
7 hours... —
8 hours... 4.51
9 hours... —
All others
and
not stated 0.74
Total...
1
QUARRY ACCIDENTS IN
The distribution of accident rates per length
of shift worked inside these types is as follows:
3.58
In- Killed In- Killed In- Killed Injured
jured
jured
jured
4.92
16.24 —
18.02 1.85
l
63.61 —
46.04 0.60
77.04 1.14
— 0.58
—
48.93
154.58
55.97
72.20
52.42
—
117.97 0.75
20.82 2.11
47.03 0.87
61.73 2.32
57.26
17.78 1.84
51.56 0.68
53.83 .0.84
69.13
—
Not computed.
Principal accident causes together with the
accident frequency rates per million man-hours
are shown in the following table:
Fatal accidents
Cause
Number
Open quarry
Falls or slides of rock or
overburden
Handling m a t e r i a l s . . . .
Hand tools
Explosives
Haulage
Falls of persons
Falling objects
Flying objects
Electricity
Drilling and channeling.
Machinery
Other causes
Total
0.150
0.017
35
11
5
4
0.584
0.184
0.083
0.067
0.083
0.100
0.083
Underground quarry
Fall of rock from roof or
wall
H a n d l i n g rock while
loading a t working
face or chute
Hand tools
Haulage
Drilling
Other causes
Grand Total
312 5.204
805 13.428
207 3.453
73 1.218
222 3.703
358 5.972
91 1.518
381 6.355
21 0.350
193 3.219
256 4.270
271 4.521
1.351 3,190 53.211
0.139
38
5.276
0.139
84 11.662
28 3.887
43 5.970
60 8.330
100 13.885
0.417
353 49.010
0.139
Total
Shaft or slope
Outside works
Haulage
Machinery
Hand tools
Stepping on nail
Electricity
Falls of persons
Falling objects
Flying objects
Handling materials. .
Burns
Other causes
Total
Per
Per
million
million
man- Number manhours
hours
9
1
81
Other accidents
0.555
0.053
0.070
0.009
0.018
0.052
0.018
0.018
0.008
28
112
0.246
198
428
187
24
28
320
222
266
500
226
403
1.741
3.765
1.645
0.211
0.246
2.815
953
340
398
988
545
2,806 25.202
0.619 6,349 35.109
Inside the quarries, employment was greatest
for cement rock, granite, limestone and limestone (chief product lime) quarries.
The general trend of both fatal and non-fatal
153
accident rates since 1916 has been downward.
Because of the 28 deaths in a major disaster,
however, the 1942 fatality rate (0.62) reached
the highest point since 1936.
T h e R e l a t i o n of Vision Testing to Safety in Industry.
By Joseph LO-PRESTI, M.D. (The Sight-Saving Review,
Vol. XIV, No. 1, Summer 1944, p. 26.)
The various processes involved in seeing, ways of testing;
and classifying these, and their relation to safety in industry are discussed in this article.
Very few industries have given sufficient attention to)
visual tests and the determination of visual skills among;
their employees. Several factors should be taken into>
consideration in this connection, i.e., visual acuity; depthL
perception, the importance of which is often overlooked;;
and colour discrimination. Muscle imbalance or faulty or
insufficient convergence is also of extreme significance.
In conclusion, the author states that industrial hygienistsj
are not yet in a position to say just what percentage ofF
this or t h a t type of accident is due to any one or any combination of the various component visual skills, irrespective of other factors such as good lighting, etc. Therei
is reason to assume, however, that this percentage may be;
high enough to justify carrying out projects in industry ini
which these various skills will be carefully and accuratelyT
measured against accident type and frequency.
.
M i n i n g Accidents. Special M e t h o d s of First-Aid,
T r e a t m e n t . By Dr. S. BRIDGEDAVIS. (The Iron and Coal
Trades Review, 1 September 1944, p. 295.)
Some methods of first-aid treatment applicable to injuries sustained in coal mines are reviewed in this paper.
The particular difficulties encountered in the administration of first aid within the mine are taken into account.
The subjects reviewed are: first-aid treatment of: (1) a
fractured spine; (2) eye injuries; (3) burns; and (4) the;
use of morphia for serious accident cases.
A record of the discussion of this paper is published in
The Iron and Coal Trades Review, 15 September 1944,'
p. 383.
Das Auftreten von Grubengas und seine Bekämpfu n g . By Bergassessor Dr.-Ing. Richard FORSTMANN
and Dipl.-Ing. Paul SCHULZ, Essen. (Glückauf, Vol. 80,
'
No. 13/14, 1 April 1944, p. 131.)
In 1936, as a result of difficulties caused by the emanat'on of large quantities of methane in various Ruhr mines,,
the German Mining Federation renewed firedamp researches with a view to discovering the reasons for the3
release of gas and hence means of combatting it. Owing to)
the war, research had to be confined mainly to the purelyr
mining aspects of the problem, leaving -the geological,,
physical and chemical aspects for subsequent investigation. The present article which is illustrated with numerous diagrams discusses the researches undertaken and the3
results achieved so far.
Many factors contribute to the release of gas and various3
methods of observation give contradictory results. Experience shows that the most reliable results are obtained by!
drilling boreholes.
The authors have found it convenient to differentiate3
between roads and face workings and, as regards the3
latter, between the face and the upper gate road.
In driving development roads in the coal and inclined1
roads in the rock, the release of gas is generally small and1
is not a practical inconvenience even in gassy seams. The
reason for this is t h a t owing to the small dimensions of
such workings no additional pressure is exerted on the
coal face. When, however, these workings are driven in a
body of coal t h a t is affected by face workings, then the
quantities of gas released during extraction increase considerably and in gassy seams may call for special measures
and even lead to the stoppage of work. In this connection
it must be borne in mind t h a t the coal in a seam is affected
not only by face workings in a lower seam but also by face
workings in a higher seam.
At the face, the release of gas is always greater than in
the lower gate road but even here it usually remains within
permissible limits. The distribution of the gas release over
the length of the face is fairly uniform if there are no disturbances. Only at the upper end of the face is a considerable increase in gas sometimes noticeable because
the gas that streams from the face enters cracks in the
roof and through them moves up the face and so enters
the air current below the stopping in the upper gate road.
The most important factors affecting the release of gas
along the face are the nature of the coal, the presence or
absence of disturbances, and the pressure on the coal face.
Only this last factor can be influenced by technical measures.
For the purposes of reducing the release of gas as far as
possible, it is useful to employ rigid supports, to handle
the roof with care, and to advance the face rapidly. Experience shows t h a t the roof along the face can best be protected by resort to caving, with which the release of gas appears
to be less than with packing. The situation would, however, be different if there were seams so close over the face
that collapse of the roof would bring them down with it.
Any coal reaching the waste in this way releases all its gas
near the front and some of it reaches the face workings.
In the upper gate road the air current, as is well known,
absorbs more methane and accordingly upper gate roads
are the places in the mine where the permissible gas content is most frequently exceeded.
The following circumstances arc considered to have an
important bearing on the accumulation of gas in these
roads:
(1) Method of handling the roof at the face;
(2) Contiguous coal above the upper gate road; and
(3) Contiguous seams in the roof.
As regards the handling of the roof, it is observed that
with caving hardly any cracks occur at the face and hence
gas from a roof seam cannot penetrate to the face workings.
Instead it is released in the waste and from there streams
into the upper gate road so that here gas accumulates
more quickly with caving than with packing. However,
the higher gas content is less dangerous in this road than at
the face. Furthermore, the total release of gas at any
working point seems to be less with caving than with
packing.
The greater accumulation of gas in upper gate roads
when there is adjacent coal above them is not so much
due to intense discharge of gas from the face but rather
to the fact that in such circumstances a system of cracks
develops along the road and spreads through the roof,
and through this system gas flows from the roof seam. I t
is only natural that cracks in this system become much
wider than cracks in face workings parallel to the face.
With these latter cracks both sides sink together as the
154
face advances so that the gaps are small but the two sides
of the cracks along the upper gate road do not sink together and the gaps are therefore wider, especially if the
roof is sandy.
Lastly, a decisive factor in the release of gas in the upper
gate road is the presence or absence in the neighbouring
roof of one or more unworked seams. Through the many
cracks that form in the roof as a result of extraction at the
face, and especially parallel to the upper gate road, ways
are opened for the gas from such seams towards the waste
and the road. In addition there is the important fact t h a t
the working of one seam releases gas in the neighbouring
seams. In particular, whenever the roof sinks as a result
of the extraction of coal, the quantities of gas released
increase greatly at first and then gradually diminish. The
reason for this is that the face pressure crushes some of
the coal and at the same time causes cracks from which the
gas escapes.
Experience with borehole investigations in the neighbourhood of the face led to the systematic adoption of
these investigations in the solid coal with a view to obtaining more precise knowledge of the laws governing the
release of gas at the face. The first stage was to study the
.release of gas in bodies of coal unaffected by the face
workings and then to observe the changes that occur as
the coal comes under the influence of these workings.
From boreholes drilled up to 52 m in the solid and tightly
tamped it appeared that the quantities of gas released
dropped quickly at first and then more slowly. By the end
of two or three months the quantities had decreased to
about half, from which time they continued to decrease
slowly for another fifteen months or so when they became
practically negligible.
A discovery of great interest was that the quantity of
gas released increases with the depth of the borehole, the
reason for this being that the gas pressure is higher in the
interior of the coal.
This point was established by investigations undertaken
to discover whether there really was any gas pressure at all
in the coal and, if so, of what magnitude. The first experiments seemed to suggest there was no pressure but it was
discovered that the gas flowed through the coal past the
borehole tamping and it was not until tamping several
metres thick was used that pressures could be recorded in
the borehole. These pressures ranged up to 13.4 atmospheres but it is known that this is far from the maximum
figure recorded.
One of the means by which face workings affect the rate
of gas release is through the slight displacement of roads
resulting from ground pressure. At the same time it was
found that as the pressure in the coal falls the quantity of
gas released rises. This is in accordance with laboratory
experiments showing that the quantities of gas fixed by
the coal rise with increasing gas pressure. The reason why
the rate of gas release increases when the pressure on the
coal is increased by face workings is that in this case the
coal is not under a pressure within its limit of elasticity but
is actually crushed and the pressure in the individual
particles is reduced.
There is no doubt that rock also contains gas, both in
its pores and in cracks and cavities. Rock, however, is
much less permeable to gas than coal and experiments
show that the rate of release of gas from coal was about
2,000 times that from rock. Consequently the gas contained in rock is of no significance in mining operations.
This however is not the case as regards cracks in rocks
from which blowers may issue in quantities of some
hundred thousands of cubic metres. Nevertheless cavities
in the rock can hardly ever be so large as to hold such
large quantities at any one time and they must therefore
lie continuously fed with gas from the coal seams. I t is
thus not correct to speak of blowers originating in the rock.
The general conclusions drawn from the whole series of
investigations are summarised as follows:
(1) The gas content of the coal differs widely even in
neighbouring seams. The reason for this is not yet
clear but as far as has been ascertained hitherto it
does not lie in pétrographie differences.
(2) As regards gas pressure: in a virgin seam the gas is
as a rule uniformly distributed and fixed under a
uniform pressure. If a coal surface is bared then the
pressure will cause gas to be released and it will
stream from the interior of the coal face. Consequently the pressure in the interior of the face will
fall and at a regular rate.
(3) The gas-permeability of the coal is not uniform. It
differs not only in different seams but often also in
the different banks of one and the same seam. A
substantial increase in permeability occurs when the
pressure is lowered.
(4) The quantity of gas issuing depends on the gas pressure and the permeability of the coal.
(5) The gas-fixing capacity of the coal varies with the
pressure. The higher the gas pressure the more gas
can the coal fix. There is equilibrium between the
ground pressure and the gas pressure in the coal.
If the pressure on the coal face is relieved, gas will
be released from the coal and will stream out.
The last conclusion is doubtless the most important of
all. It shows the decisive bearing of every alteration in the
ground pressure on the release of gas.
As regards means of reducing the dangers of gas, these
may be divided into two main groups: measures for diluting
it and flushing it out, and measures aimed at preventing
its emanation at workplaces and, if possible, also in the
roads. In general, mining men are inclined to attach more
importance to the first group and the result has been that
ever increasing quantities of air are used in the mine at
ever increasing cost without, however, providing any
really effective remedy. In some cases even, intensifying
the ventilation may mean increasing the quantities of gas,
because the suction resulting from the increased air speed
and atmospheric depression will intensify the release of
gas from cracks.
Some successful attempts have been made to collect
gas and carry it off in pipes. This procedure has been
adopted in the Saar on a large scale. The question arises
then whether, and if so how, it would be possible to generalise the procedure. At all events it would be necessary to
start with neighbouring scams and so prevent the gas from
penetrating to the mine workings.
Corecta Ventllaciôn en los Talleres. By José C. P R I E TO A., Civil Engineer in the Industrial Hygiene Division
of the Department of Labour and Social Insurance,
Mexico. (Trabajo y Prevision Social, Vol. X I X , No. 75,
April 1944, p. 57.)
This is a brief outline on the subject of ventilation in
workshops. After giving a definition of ventilation, the
author describes the components of air, the temperature
and its variations, the heating and cooling of workrooms,
humidity, movement of air and its impurities.
Referring to the various systems of ventilation he mentions the maximum concentrations of dust permissible in
the atmosphere without danger to the human body, as
determined by Dr. HATCH of the U.S. Department of
Public Health. Statistics on illness and death rates in
Europe as well as in America indicate that the frequency
rate of illness, temporary or permanent disability and
death is greater among workers in industries where the
air is contaminated principally by dusts. A typical example is the cotton spinning and weaving industry where
up to 50 per cent, of workers between'the ages of 15 and 60
become ill. The mortality rate in the same age group in the
same industry varies between 6.8 and 22.7 per thousand
workers while the rate for workers in other industries is
between 5.2 and 23.1.
In conclusion the author recommends that the temperature of workplaces should be maintained within adequate
limits, that sudden changes of temperature should be
avoided or reduced, and that baths should be installed and
rooms provided for the changing of clothing. Persons
working in the open air should also be protected from the
rain and wind. Problems respecting the nutrition and
clothing of the workers should be considered and periodical
medical examinations carried out. Every workplace should
be equipped with a proper ventilation system.
L i g h t i n g and t h e Eye. By D . B. HARMON.
nating Engineering, September 1944, p . 481.)
(Illumi-
The author makes a critical examination, largely from
the biological standpoint, of the criteria to which industrial lighting is usually required to conform. His main
points are that the best industrial lighting is not necessarily
t h a t which approximates most closely t o sunlight, and
that in judging lighting it is not only its effects on the eye
that have to be considered. Consideration of the biological
evolution of the eye during the course of millions of years
and the primary functions that it has been called upon to
perform leads the author to the conclusion that it has
developed mainly as an organ for outdoor seeing; that is
to say, for performing outdoor tasks out-of-doors. I t does
not follow from this that indoor tasks can best be performed in outdoor lighting conditions, and therefore
attempts to create artificial daylight in industrial premises
may not be wholly successful.
The author further quotes researches that tend to prove
that light affects parts of the body other than the eye and
that accordingly what may seem to be the most comfortable lighting for the eye is not necessarily the best
lighting for the body as a whole, and therefore not necessarily the lighting that will give the optimum results in
industry. In this connection, he refers particularly to the
destruction of riboflavin by light.
By wa\ r of example, he examines in detail the pros and
cons of fluorescent lighting.
Effect of A l u m i n i u m a n d A l u m i n a o n t h e Lung in
Grinders of D u r a l u m i n Aeroplane Propellers.
By Donald H U N T E R , R. M I L T O N , Kenneth M. A. PERRY,
and D . R. THOMPSON. (British Journal of Industrial
Medicine, July 1944, p. 159.)
The authors begin by discussing earlier investigations
on workers exposed to the inhalation of alumina and aluminium. They then describe in detail and with the help of
photographs and diagrams recent researches in a factory
making duralumin propellers. These researches comprised
examination of occupational histories, blood counts, X-ray
photographs and sickness records of propeller grinders.
The authors fail to find any evidence that duralumin
dust produced any disease of the trachea, bronchi or lungs.
A bibliography is appended to the paper.
(News from Sweden, No. 184, 27 September 1944.)
A recent issue of the Swedish Medical Journal (Suensk
Läkarlidning) contains an article by a Swedish physician;
Hugo ROSENQVIST dealing with a new method for treating
phosphor burns.
During an anti-aircraft drill, an instructor was accidentally showered by a mass of burning phosphor. Buckets
of water were immediately poured over him and after
being taken to a hospital and given morphine, he received
bicarbonate treatment in the form of hand baths and face
compresses.
After three hours of this treatment, however, there was
still phosphor on the burned patches and garlic-smelling
smoke and strong phosphorescence could be observed. On
bathing t h e affected parts with a solution of 1 per cent.
permanganate of potash and 5 per cent, bicarbonate, the
phosphorescence disappeared a t once and the pain vanished almost a t the same time. The patient was practically
healed in three weeks and was discharged from the hospital
in five.
Unfällhäufigkeit b e i m Fraueneinsatz i m Maschin e n b a u . (Werkstattstechnik—Der Betrieb, July 1943,
p. 286.)
Statistics kept by a machine-building firm for nine
months in 1940 are quoted as showing that contrary to
what might have been expected, women employed on
machine building are not more liable to accidents than
men. I n the works concerned, women made u p about 23
per cent, of the employees. They accounted for 11.9 per
155
cent, of all eye injuries, 13 per cent, of skin affections, 14
per cent, of first-aid cases, 33 per cent, of disability cases
and 39.8 per cent, of cases ôf illness.
Experience showed that women were relatively less
liable than men to slight accidents and especially beginners'
accidents, but more frequently sought medical treatment
for them. They were also more prone to report sick than
men.
Factory Inspection i n Britain. By Sir Wilfrid GARRETT, H.M. Chief Inspector of Factories. (Labour and
Industry in Britain, September 1944, p. 147.)
Sir Wilfrid Garrett has written a very comprehensive
and clear account of the organisation and functions of the
factory inspectorate. He describes the work of the
ordinary inspectors, the specialist engineering and electrical
inspectors, the medical inspectors and the headquarters'
staff, and shows how they not only enforce the law but also
act as safety consultants and educators. I n the course of
time the inspectorate has developed into a very influential
national safety organisation, and the range of its activities
is still extending.
SIDOKENKO, Secretary to the All-Union Central Council
of Trade Unions. (Trud, 30 May 1944, p. 2.)
The Central Council of Trade Unions of the U.S.S.R. is
the supreme authority in all matters of industrial safety
and hygiene throughout the Union. I n this article the
Secretary of the Council urges the importance of preventing industrial accidents and diseases in wartime, describes the good results achieved in some undertakings and
criticises others.
He remarks that every year the Government allots large
sums for t h e improvement of technical safety measures
and working conditions in industrial undertakings, and
pays great attention to these matters even in wartime. I n
1944, up to the time of writing, the 16 industrial commissariats had already spent over 300,000,000 roubles for
these purposes, a sum considerably in excess of the previous
year's allotment. For instance, in the electrical machine
industry the allotment was 1.5 million roubles in 1943 but
10 million in 1944. Large increases were also made in the
armaments, military supplies, iron and steel, transport,
machine building and other industries.
The increase in the amounts expended on safety is
largely to be accounted for by the intake of new workers,
especially women. Special care has to be taken of all these
new recruits. I n several branches of industry, measures
have been taken during the war to increase production by
improving working conditions and the result has been a
reduction of the frequency of accidents and diseases. In
the evacuated factories large numbers of machines have
been properly fenced, protective clothing and equipment
has been distributed and extensive welfare arrangements
made, and here too the number of accidents has been considerably reduced.
I n a machine building works for
example, a 33 per cent, reduction was obtained and in a
number of other factories the reduction exceeded 30 per
cent.
All this testifies to the great amount of work done by the
trade union organisations but the author remarks it is not
sufficient to spend large sums of money on safety, the
money must be properly used. For this purpose there must
be day-to-day supervision over labour conditions b y the
factory and workshop committees, the public inspectors,
etc. These must see that safety rules are observed in every
part of the undertaking and that labour improvement
schemes are properly carried out. Close supervision by
the trade union organisations will stimulate the sense of
responsibility of factory managers. Experience has shown
t h a t where supervision is lax, accidents increase.
Particular mention is made of the mining industry
which, although of vital importance in war time, has not
everywhere received adequate attention, from the safety
standpoint.
The Central Council of Trade Unions has issued strict
orders for the observance of safety regulations and all
156
trade union organisations are reminded of their duty to
comply with these orders, and in particular to supervise
the expenditure of the large sums at their disposal for
improving working conditions, safety and health. I t is
further necessary for every undertaking to draw up a plan
for accident prevention and to conclude an agreement
with the economic authorities on the financing of this plan
and the time limits for its execution. In this connection,
primary consideration should be given to mechanised processes, the improvement of conditions in unhealthy processes, the introduction of new equipment and amenities
and the renovation of those already existing.
A tremendous work of industrial reconstruction is in
progress in the liberated areas and the trade union organisations must see that here safety and welfare conditions
are not neglected.
One of the most effective means of ensuring the proper
use of funds is the regular rendering of accounts, as required by law, by the factory managers to the trade union
organisations on the carrying out of safety schemes. Some
trade unions have recently made insufficient use of this
means. The unions should, however, use every means in
their power to improve working conditions, basing themselves on the law and reminding managements of their
responsibilities. If necessary, they must take legal
measures.
In conclusion, the author declares that improving labour
protection, and industrial safety in particular, means
increasing the production of supplies essential to the front
and to the country as a whole for the speedy destruction of
the enemy.
A Laboratory for Small Plant Safety. By E. C. WOODWARD. (National Safety News, August 1944, p. 10).
Quotes figures tending to prove t h a t accident frequency
is higher in small than in large plants and describes safety
campaigns undertaken among the employees of the Illinois
Institute of Technology and associated scientific institutions. The successes achieved offer some indication of the
means by which accidents may be reduced in other small
undertakings.
RECENT BOOKS
157
RECENT BOOKS
Precautions t o be Taken w h e n Approaching Old
M i n e Workings. U.S. Bureau of Mines. Information
Circular 7288, June 1944. 20 pp.
Most of this paper is taken up with descriptions of accidents that have occurred in coal and metal mines when old
workings have been broken into during mining operations.
These descriptions are accompanied by a discussion of
the hazards of old workings and the precautions to be
taken.
The concluding recommendations are as follows:
"As many of these accidents resulted from using inaccurate maps or working without maps, it is obvious that
every mine, regardless of size or type, should have available
an accurate map which, in addition to showing all active
workings should show all connections with other mines
and workings, all abandoned, worked-out, sealed, and fire
areas, if any, and all dammed or standing water areas. The
map should show the boundaries of the workings of mines
adjoining the property and the size of the boundary pillar.
A copy of the mine map should be deposited with some
State authority or agency when the mine is closed down,
abandoned, or worked out, so that it would be available
for reference to anyone again working the property or an
adjoining property; this is decidedly desirable, inasmuch
as in changing operators of a mine the maps are very likely
to be lost. This is especially true if a mine has been idle
for some years.
"When it is known that workings will approach old or
abandoned workings, an accurate survey should be made
of the approaching working place with reference to the old
workings, if it is at all feasible, so that the real distances
n:ay be fairly well established. If this cannot be done,
utmost precautions should be taken in drilling and blasting
in the region of suspected or known abandoned workings.
"Regardless of the supposed accuracy of the maps, drill
holes at least 20 feet deep should be drilled ahead of the
face when working places are known or suspected of being
close to abandoned, sealed, or old workings the condition
of which is unknown. Drill holes should also be drilled at
least 25 feet deep on an angle of 45° to 60° in each rib at
least every 8 feet. The working place should be driven at
a minimum width. I n coal mines, extra precautions should
he taken on account of encountering sudden outbursts of
gas, and only permissible mining equipment and explosives
and lights should be used in the approaching workings.
"Accurate and frequent check should be maintained of
the distances in workings approaching abandoned or
worked-out areas. This should be made in addition to the
drill holes advanced ahead of the face.
"Definite instructions should be issued to the operating
mine officials (mine foreman, assistant foreman, section
foreman), and the miners limiting the distance of the places
to be driven, regardless of whether or not the areas being
approached can be inspected.
"A mine official should be at hand when a place is known
to be close or about to break through.
"Thought ahd consideration should be given beforehand
to any place that is to connect active sections of a mine as
well as to inactive or abandoned mines or parts of a mine
as to the effect it might have on interrupting ventilation.
In the past, numerous explosions have occurred as the
result of short-circuiting air from a part of a mine because
of a newly made break-through, with consequent ignition
of gas by open lights, electricity, etc.
"Care should be practised when drilling boreholes and
charging shots in places that are about to be connected in
active workings. This is especially important when blast-
ing is done while the working shift is in the mine, inasmuch
as the newly made connection may short-circuit air
through abandoned gas-filled workings and force accumulated gas into working places, to be ignited by open
lights, smoking, electric arcs, etc.
"Should water be encountered in shot drill holes in a
place not known to be near old workings as shown on the
map, it may indicate the proximity of a body of water, and
pilot holes should be carried ahead of the face, and extra
precautions should be taken. This is especially true if the
strata are generally dry, and the wet condition appears
unexpectedly."
A S t u d y of S u m m e r Air Conditioning with Water
Sprays t o Prevent Roof Falls at t h e Beech B o t t o m
Coal Mine, West Virginia. U.S. Bureau of Mines,
Report of Investigations 3775, August 1944. 20 pp.
The report first describes the mine and the method of
working it, and then deals more particularly with the
measures taken to preserve the roof, which tended to disintegrate under atmospheric influences. The first measure
was the application of a layer of gunite, but this was found
to crack when exposed to changes in atmospheric temperature and moisture and hence to expose the roof. Cracking was eventually prevented by addition of wire mesh
reinforcement to the gunite and the reinforced gunite is
now used along most of the main haulageway.
To eliminate variations in moisture and temperature an
air-conditioning plant was installed. The results are fully
described with the help of numerous diagrams.
Appended to the report is a paper on physical properties
and effect of temperature and moisture changes on roof
shales. Laboratory tests showed t h a t moisture was more
injurious than temperature changes to shale and that
alternate wetting and drying was more injurious than
constant humidity.
Other causes of roof troubles at the Beech Bottom Mine
include low moduli of elasticity and bending strength of
the rocks, and also stresses duo to the oxidation of pyrites.
Testing Safety Catches on Mine Cages at S o m e
Eastern B i t u m i n o u s Coal M i n e s . U.S. Bureau of
Mines. Information Circular 7290, July 1944. 20 pp.
After summarising state regulations relating to safety
catches the circular briefly mentions the main types of
catch and then describes with illustrations the testing
methods employed in a number of mines. I t concludes
with a short general discussion of safety catches and a few
safety rules to be observed in testing.
Construction, Care, and Use of Permissible F l a m e
Safety L a m p s . U.S. Bureau of Mines. Miners' Circular 44, 1944. 18 pp.
The circular first describes, with detailed drawings, the
flame safety lamps in use in the U.S.A. with special reference to their safety features. I t then deals with the care
of lamps and in this connection discusses, suitable fuels,
filling precautions, cleaning, inspection and testing. Next,
under the head of operation and use, it describes various
methods of detecting oxygen deficiencies and methane.
The paper concludes with a set of general precautions to
be observed in the handling of lamps underground.
158
Blasting Hazards in Strip Mines Adjacent to Underground Workings. U.S. Bureau of Mines. Information Circular 7296, October 1944. 5 pp.
The circular discusses the risks to which underground
mines are exposed when blasting is being carried on in
adjacent strip mines, and refers in particular to the presence of carbon monoxide. It recommends the following
procedure:
(o) Blasting in the strip mine should be done only when
no persons are in the underground mine.
(fc) Persons, other than those examining the mine,
should not be allowed underground until a thorough
search for dangerous gases has been made and all
dangerous gases removed.
(c) Examination of the underground mine should be
delayed until a sufficient time (at least a few hours)
has elapsed after blasting in the strip mine.
(<l) Persons examining the mine should be suitably protected from the dangers of an atmosphere t h a t is
likely to contain concentrations of toxic gases.
/ . General — Applying
(a)
to all Conditions
Mechanical:
Provide at least two manholes where possible.
Isolate from every possible source of danger by
completely disconnecting all pipelines. Blank off
inlet pipes.
Lock all valves and moving machinery.
Remove all dangerous material.
Inspect and certify by competent person.
Use no lamp containing paraffin or other inflammable liquid inside vessels.
Have fire extinguishers and resuscitation apparatus available and rescue appliances handy.
(b) Electrical:
Regularly maintain and supervise all electrical
equipment.
Protect wiring and cables in certain cases.
Properly bond and earth pipelines, etc., against
static electric charges and stray earth currents.
/ / . With an Unprepared
M e m o r a n d u m o n Explosion and Gassing Risks in
t h e Cleaning, E x a m i n a t i o n and Repair of Stills,
T a n k s , e t c . Factory Department, Ministry of Labour
and National Service. Form 814, August 1944. Published by H.M. Stationery Office, London. 15 pp.
This substantial memorandum deals concisely with a
great many matters grouped under the following heads:
explosives; poisoning; general procedure for the preparation of stills, tanks and vessels for the purposes of repair;
cleaning of acid tanks and wagons; entry into vessels;
examination and repair of tank wagons which have
contained liquids with poisonous or flammable vapour;
cleaning of drums and vessels which are not entered;
precautions in regard to neighbouring vessels; and emptying
or repairing Gay Lussac towers.
The principal causes of explosions are classified as : (a)
flammable vapour given off by light oils or other flammable liquids stored in the tanks or from sludge left after the
liquid has been removed; (6) in the case of acid tanks,
hydrogen gas given off by the action of the acid on the
metal of the tank; and (c) the leakage of flammable gas,
vapour or liquid from communicating vessels.
Ignition of explosive mixtures may result from:
(a) Sparks from mechanical sources, e.g., steel or iron
tools or dip rods, or unsuitable footwear. (This risk arises
particularly in the case of hydrogen, ether, carbon bisulphide and acetylene.)
(b) Flames from outside sources, e.g., oxy-acetylenc
burners.
(c) Sparking due to a faulty cable or the breaking of an
electric light bulb.
(d) Static sparks.
(e) Pyrophoric substances, e.g., iron sulphide.
( / ) Contact with hot substances. Carbon bisulphide
for instance has a very low ignition temperature and contact of the vapour even with the outer globe of a completely enclosed electric lamp may cause ignition.
The precautions recommended for the prevention of
explosions are largely concerned with electric lamps and
appliances, static and stray earth currents.
Among the sources of poisoning, particular mention is
made of benzol, arseniuretted hydrogen, and nitrous fumes.
The principal precautions against poisoning include elimination of fumes, ventilation and the use of breathing
apparatus and lifebelts. Special attention is drawn to the
necessity of earthing metal nozzles of air hose so as to
avoid static discharges.
Much thought is devoted to methods of isolating, cleaning and testing vessels for repair and other purposes.
The memorandum is accompanied by the following
summary of precautions with stills and tanks prepared by
the Association of British Chemical Manufacturers:
Vessel
It is necessary to:
Clean by steaming or other appropriate method, and
remove sludge or scale, with the necessary precautions
as prescribed.
Test and certify the vessel by a competent person
before entering, unless breathing apparatus and lifebelt
are worn.
Test specially for arsine and hydrogen sulphide and
beware of nitrous fumes during welding.
Use preferably a certified flame-proof battery lamp, or
—with a cable lamp—interlocked socket and earthed
cable.
Take care in using a portable electric blower.
E a r t h all electrical apparatus.
It is Not permitted to:
Use or bring naked lights near.
Carry matches or lighters.
Use iron or steel dip rods or tools; or footwear likely
to cause sparks.
Enter without breathing apparatus and lifebelt.
Use a canister respirator.
Use iron or zinc implements in acid tanks.
Use uncertified portable electric appliances.
/ / / . With a Prepared and Certified Vessel
It is Still necessary to:
Maintain ventilation and supervision from outside.
Wear breathing apparatus if welding or using blow
lamps.
Keep pipelines disconnected and valves and machinery locked.
Watch for evolution of gas from residues and crevices.
lletest (or reclean and test) plant standing idle after
original cleaning.
Guard against electric shock.
Give workers rest periods in the open air.
It is permitted to:
Use a naked light, or uncertified lamp.
Use portable electric appliances, if properly earthed.
Use iron and steel tools.
Enter without breathing apparatus and lifebelt.
Midget Microprojector for D u s t D e t e r m i n a t i o n s .
U.S. Bureau of Mines. Report of Investigations 3780,
September 1944. 14 pp.
A detailed illustrated description of a new microprojector and discussion of its uses. The new features include
a tungsten-arc lamp which gives a steady light and does
not have electrodes that require replacement every few
hours, a mirror in the projection path and a screen arrange-
RECENT BOOKS
nient that permits direct operation of the microscope without remote control.
Hazards from C o m m o n Gases and Vapors E n c o u n t ered at Surface Disasters. U.S. Bureau of Mines. Information Circular 7287, June 1944. 15 pp.
The purpose of this paper is to provide information on
the flammability of common gases and vapours so t h a t
rescue workers may be aware of the precautions to be
taken in entering buildings damaged by air raids, etc.
The following tables arc included in the text:
(1) Composition and explosive limits of typical fuel
gases (natural gas, coke-oven gas, coal gasK
(2) Explosive limits of refrigerants.
(3) Explosive limits of combustible gases and vapours.
(4) Composition and explosive limits of miscellaneous
gases (soil gas, sewage gas and various combustion
gases).
Advice is given on testing for combustible gases and
methods of preventing the formation of explosive mixtures
after disasters.
Published by American Public Health Association, New
York, 1943. 67 pp.
The purposes of this report arc described as: (1) to outline practical and effective measures for the recognition
and prevention of hazardous lead exposure in industry;
(2) to describe satisfactory methods for the differential
diagnosis and treatment of lead intoxication; (3) to point
out the factual requirements for medico-legal purposes and
the means of satisfying such requirements; and (4) to refer
the reader to selected sources of more detailed and comprehensive information.
159
The report is in four main sections entitled : The Recog"
nition of Hazardous Industrial Lead Exposure (diagnosis*
management and treatment), Safe Limits of Occupational
Lead Exposure, The Control of Occupational Lead
Exposure and Occupational Lead Poisoning.
The section on control of exposure deals with medical
supervision (pre-employment and periodical examinations,
etc.), engineering control in the lead trades (plant design,
ventilation, housekeeping, personal protective equipment,
supervision, etc.) and the hygienic control in small plants.
Appended to the report is a very comprehensive classified bibliography.
American Mutual Liability Insurance Company, Boston,
Massachusetts, 1943. 94 pp.
The American Mutual Liability Insurance Company
has produced a very well conceived safety textbook for
foremen. It comprises seven chapters dealing with the
qualifications required of foremen, common types of accident causes, accident prevention methods, maintenance,
housekeeping, the selection, training and supervision of
personnel and company safety organisation.
The booklet is clearly written and arranged, and the
contents are just what ever}' foreman ought to know.
Safety in t h e H o m e . By Mamie N. WHISNANT and Elta
MAJOKS. Published by the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Circular 273, March 1944. 8 pp.
This little pamphlet discusses the various types of accidents occurring in the home {e.g., falls, burns and scalds,
poisoning, cuts and bruises, injury from firearms,,suffocation, etc.), their causes and methods of prevention.
160
NEW POSTERS
(The National Safety Council of Australia, Melbourne.)
(Industrial Accident Prevention Associations, Toronto.)
P2E2
^
NO DIVAGUE5;
CUANDO T R A B A J A 5 .
Bo careful!
Don't daydream on the job.
{Ministry oj Labour and Social Welfare, Mexico.)
. •'/
fcS- SHE CIÇHT
WEAR SAFE SHOES

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Legal Assistance for Auto Accidents - Answers-in-Law

Leeds Utd

2 July 2015 - Nigeria Watch

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“Auto accidents can cause thousands or even millions of dollars in

brochure here… - UTM RAZAK School of Engineering

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