CHAPTER I.

GENERAL REPORT.

SAFETY.

Accidents. There were reported during 1926, 139,963 accidents, including 806 fatal; a decrease of 19,730 in the figures for 1925. The fatal accidents fell from 944 to 806.

The decrease, as would be expected, is chiefly confined to the districts and the industries which were most affected by the prolonged coal stoppage. Thus a group of 10 industries, including the heavy metal trades, such as metal extraction and refining, metal conversion, metal founding and loco-building, shipbuilding, the manufacture of motor and railway vehicles and boiler making, show a decrease of accidents amounting to nearly 17,000. In the textile group there is also a drop of over 1,700, but the cotton industry alone is responsible for almost the whole of this figure, actually 1,463. On the other hand there have been increases in industries which are known to have been busy and little affected by the coal shortage. The more important increases are found in the following: erection of buildings, manufacture of furniture, glass, paper, miscellaneous foodstuffs and bakeries, in gasworks and generation of electricity.

There has been a gratifying fall in the total of fatal accidents, but this drop, substantial as it is, is to be explained mainly by the fact that the industries, which experience has shown to be the most prolific in the causation of serious accidents, were working much below their normal capacity and, in certain cases, hardly employing for months any workers at all. For instance, fatalities in metal extraction and metal conversion, that is, blast furnaces and iron and steel rolling mills, fell from 100 in 1925 to 53 in 1926practically one half. Shipbuilding also showed a decrease from 84 to 55, but last year was one of the worst known in this industry for a decade.

Fatal accidents in docks rose from 93 to 102 and in electric generating stations from 15 to 20. Though fatalities in building construction dropped from 148 to 124 there was an increase in non-fatal accidents in this industry of more than 200. Building again comes first among all industries as causing the greatest number of deaths, and docks follow not far behind.

As to the causation of fatal accidents, falls come first, being accountable for no fewer than 277 deaths out of the total of 806, and lifting machinery is second, accounting for 94 cases. Falling bodies striking workers caused 76 fatalities and transmission machinery 50. Sepsis comes next in order of causation, accounting for no fewer than 42 deaths.

The following table gives a classification of all casualties reported from buildings coming within the scope of S.105, ss. (1) and 2 (a).

Safety First" Organisation.-Another important point that emerges again this year is the comparatively small proportion of accidents that are due to unfenced machinery. Out of the total of 139,963 accidents reported, only 34,833 were machinery accidents, the remaining 105, 130 had nothing to do with machinery at all. This is a significant fact which is too often overlooked. Every one is inclined to think of accidents in terms of machinery, and while no one would wish to under-rate the importance of providing adequate fencing for machinery, it is evident that if a substantial

reduction of the annual total of accidents is to be brought about, means must be found for dealing with these non-machinery cases, which for the most part are due to some failure of the human machine. They are sometimes wrongly regarded as the inevitable accompaniment of large-scale industry. Experience shows that this is not the case; on the contrary there is now abundant evidence that with proper organisation on what has come to be known as "Safety First " lines their number can be enormously reduced, and some facts in support of this view are reported later.

It has been the work of the inspectors, therefore, during the past few years to do everything in their power to stimulate activity in this direction, but it has to be admitted that their efforts have been attended with but very moderate success, and they have found it curiously difficult to arouse interest amongst either employers or workers. Progress in the establishment of safety organisations has in fact been disappointingly slow.

It is true that the reports this year contain some encouraging signs. There seems to be a general opinion that on the whole more interest is being taken in accident prevention and less inclination to regard accidents as being inevitable. There are, too, more cases where Safety Committees consisting of the Management and the foremen, and sometimes (but more rarely) also of the workmen, have been established and carry out regular inspections of the machinery and plant. The following quotations from the Inspectors' reports will be of interest.

Miss McWilliam (West London). Safety Committees are in some firms obviously doing good work in interesting the foremen and workers in the prevention of accidents. In one establishment a safety committee consisting of representatives from each department, the works' manager, works' engineer, and welfare worker, investigates every accident that occurs and after determining whether it was due to lack of, or inadequate, guarding is responsible for seeing that any necessary guards are provided. It is also the duty of the Committee to see that every machine installed is securely fenced before use.

Miss Dunch (N. London). A firm of waste rubber manufacturers have affixed a bold and striking notice at all places where carelessness or lack of forethought might be anticipated at the under switches at the rubber roll controls, etc., and workers are warned in writing that the slightest defect must be reported at once to the responsible person. Although there is much dangerous machinery in these works, no serious accidents have occurred. The firm had previously an unfortunate record and the change is, I think, entirely attributable to a determined, practical, but sympathetic and imaginative young works' engineer.

Mr. Atkinson (Cambridge) reports that a very large firm of brick makers employing about 3,000 persons in 18 yards mainly situated in his District, have now established an efficient Safety Committee. He describes the working of the Committee as follows:

Two men from each yard meet at the main yard every month. Every accident at each of the yards is fully discussed and preventive measures suggested. I have placed before the Committee my suggestions for the improvement of brick press guards and for obviating the holding of press balance wheels by young persons. The firm give every encouragement to safety suggestions and have recently sanctioned the spending of over £3,000

on the improvement of guards for brick presses. In all yards these guards are now made so that they cannot be lifted higher than the distance necessary for the passage of the brick.

The posting of warnings and safety illustrations is more general and several firms have posted notices warning employees of the dangers of approaching mill gearing in motion; the effect of the recent decisions has made these notices real warnings instead of perfunctory notices.

In one brick yard I noticed that the press lads had made safety drawings of their own and had affixed their own safety slogans above their presses.

Some progress has been made too in safety work even in places where Safety Committees are not regarded with particular favour. In Coventry, for example, Mr. H. R. Rogers has noted the following instance :

The head of one large machine tool works has written a memorandum on the subject of accident prevention, which was subsequently published in a technical journal. This memorandum together with a card containing (a) general advice re safety and (b) instructions to operators of particular classes of machines, has been printed by the firm, and copies are given to persons employed.

Another firm has had labels printed which are of a striking character and contain instructions forbidding (1) the removal of any guard while the machine is in motion, (2) the restarting of a machine before the guard is in place, and (3) the cleaning of any machine while it is in motion. A copy of this notice is affixed to every machine in such a position that it is always visible to the operator.

Still another firm has provided every departmental foreman with a book of forms of application for the provision of safety devices. Each departmental foreman is made responsible for the provision and maintenance of all necessary safety devices in his section, and is empowered to apply to the Works Engineering Department for any guard which he requires. Works Engineering Department undertakes to give advice re safety devices on application.

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At another large works an Inspection Book is kept in the Manager's Office and certain members of the engineering staff are required to make periodic reports based on inspections of the machinery and plant. The members of this inspectorial body have power to authorise any necessary fencing and are required to make an entry in the Inspection Book showing what action was taken to remedy any defect and when the fencing was completed.

Practically all large firms provide their employees with instructions as to safe methods of working.

Mr. Heath (Walsall) quotes an instance where a man of long experience has been appointed to make frequent rounds of the various departments and put tabs on any machines found with guards displaced. Such machines are stopped and not restarted until the guard is replaced or the Works Manager's authority obtained.

Some very remarkable facts too are quoted by Mr. W. A. Ackland in a recent article in the Review of Reviews, on the work of the National" Safety First " Association, which surely go to show that this work is worth while even if it is considered solely for its economic value. The firms referred to are no doubt the same firms as those quoted in previous Annual Reports, but this information is brought up to date, and in some of the cases set out in more striking form. Mr. Ackland says:—

The practical results of this work are unchallengeable. Here are some achievements :

A Firm of Soap Manufacturers.

Our compensated accidents in 1919 amounted to 9 per cent. of the total number of hands employed. In twelve months that number was reduced

to 5 per cent. and in the following year to 3 per cent. As a direct result of this reduction in risks, we have been able to renew our accident insurance contract at a premium 40 per cent. lower than that previously paid.

A Firm of Steel Makers.

Comparing the amount of compensation paid for a period of two years before we took up" Safety First" work with the same length of period since taking up Safety First" work, shows that the amount of compensation paid has been reduced by 46 per cent.

"

A Firm of Electrical Engineers.

In the eight years of " Safety First "work of this firm, they have succeeded in reducing by 70 per cent. the amount of compensation paid per £100 of wages, after taking into account the variations in rate of compensation which have occurred during that period.

Other cases are:

A steel firm who reduced the amount of compensation paid per £100 of wages from 14s. in 1919 to 7s. in 1921, a reduction of 50 per cent.

"

The claims of another firm, when they started their “ Safety First campaign in 1919, amounted to 26s. 6d. per cent. In two years this had been reduced to 6s. 6d. per cent., a reduction of 75 per cent.

These are the results that have been obtained where direct personal interest has been taken in the prevention of accidents. They correspond with extraordinary closeness to the reductions which are reported to have been brought about by similar safety organisations in America, where in some directions at all events the "Safety First " movement has made more progress than in other countries. There is no reason why similar reductions should not be brought about in many other of our large works and more particularly in those industries where the accident risk is great; but they will be brought about only when a more direct interest in accident prevention is taken by both employer and worker.

Trade Conferences. In this connexion much importance must be attached to the Trade Conferences which have been arranged from time to time. A good deal has been done in this direction during the past year. In the first place arrangements were made to call together again the Joint Conference in the Cotton Trade, to revise and bring up to date the agreement as to safety which was reached in 1912. A preliminary meeting of the spinning section was held in September and representatives were selected to serve on the conference, which met on six occasions. Preliminary consideration of the agenda was completed and a number of amendments and additions to the agreements were agreed upon. One of the most important points, in view of the high rate of sepsis following on accidents in this trade, was that of First Aid, and after considerable discussion a small committee was appointed to go fully into this question. This sub-committee has had several meetings and has prepared a preliminary report including a draft set of rules for adoption by the Trade.