Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENESource: Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 15, No. 2 (AUGUST, 1922), pp. 163-165Published by: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of LaborStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41828380 .

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INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE.

Study of the Number and Causes of Fatal Industrial Accidents.

AN occupational INTERESTING

accidents study

as of compared

the number with

and nonindustrial is

causes of

in

fatal acci- the

occupational accidents as compared with nonindustrial acci- dents over a nine-year period, 1912 to 1920, is reported in the

Statistical Bulletin of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., May, 1922 (pp. 6-8).

These accidents which occurred among the white male policy- holders of the company, ages 15 to 74, reached a total in nine years of 27,074 deaths from all forms of accidents and 7,835 due to the occupation. The occupational accidents formed about 29 per cent of tne total, or a rate for the nine years of 35.5 per 100,000. In 1913 the highest pre-war rate (45.7) was recorded which was followed by a sharp decline in 1915 to 27.5, the lowest rate during the period studied. This improvement was probably due to the rapid growth of the safety movement following the enactment of workmen^ com- pensation legislation but the gams were soon offset by the greatly increased industrial activity caused by the war. The death rate from industrial accidents increased to 40.9 in 1918, an increase of nearly 50 per cent in three years. The rate dropped, however, to 32.1 m 1919 but rose to 34.9 in 1920.

The proportions of deaths of occupational origin vary greatly. Thus they iormed 93 per cent of the deaths from accident in mines and quarries; 80 per cent of the deaths from injuries by machines; 68 per cent from accidents due to electricity; 38 per cent of railroad accidents; 28 per cent of fatal burns, and 24 per cent of the deaths from falls.

The following table shows the number and causes of deaths re- corded duringthe years 1912-1920. NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL ACCIDENTS AND NUMBER AND PROPORTION ARIS- INO FROM INDUSTRIAL CAUSES, AMONG WHITE MALES 15 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER.

I Occupational accidents. Deaths, all !

Type of accident. forms of j Percentage accidents. . j)eaths. of total j accidents.

Conflagration 284 ' 61 21.5 Burns 787 ¡ 222 28.2 Absorption of deleterious gases 1,420 103 7.3 Accidental drowning 4,174 ! 308 7.4 Traumatism by fall 4, 826 j 1, 1(54 24. 1 Traumatism in mines and quarries 966 1 899 93.1 Traumatism by machinas 1,223 j 976 79.8 Railroad accidents and injuries 4,816 | 1,846 38.3 Street car accidents and injuries 1,325 238 18.0 Automobile accidents and injuries from use oí cars 2, 546 224 8. 8 Other vehicular accidents ana injuries 1,331 471 35.4 Other crushing accidents and injuries 371 247 66.6 Injuries by animals 179 73 40. 8 Electricity (lightning excepted) ; 642 436 67. 9 Fractures (cause not specified) 568 12 2. 1 Other external violence 1,616 555 , 34.3

Total j 27,074 j 7,835 28.9

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164 MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.

New York Code for Industrial Lighting.

ON became MAY 1,

effective 1922, a

in carefully

the State revised

of New American

code York.

for industrial

standard The correspond-

lighting

code of became effective in the State of New York. The correspond- encies between this code and the American standard code of

the Illuminating Engineers Society are of such a nature as to indicate constant use of the standard code in the preparation of the New York code.1

Before making a more definite comparison it will be well to give briefly the method by which standard codes are being formulated.

As a result of extended and prolonged discussion the decision was reached by those interested that the best method of preparing safety codes for American industry was in accordance witn the procedure of the American Engineering Standards Committee. This committee was organized by the engineering societies of the country with the primary purpose of formulating standards for engineering practice. The interest in standards of safety generated by the activities of the National Safety Council and the various State bodies haying to do with accident prevention finally reached a point suggesting the development of national standard safety codes.

A given code is first considered by one of two correlating commit- tees. One of these is concerned with mining interests and the other with general industry. The discussion in this committee develops the need of the particular code and what organization may properly undertake its formulation.

On report of the correlating committee the standards committee requests some organization to undertake active preparation of the desired code. Such an organization accepting the invitation of the standards committee is termed a "sponsor." A given code may be prepared by one or more " sponsors.

The sponsor then proceeds to organize a " sectional committee"

representing all those interested m the particular code. These sectional committees have numbered about thirty persons. Usually a tentative code is prepared by some member of the committee or an existing code is used as a basis. Meetings of the entire sectional committee are then held and the code discussed in detail. After repeated revisions the code will be very widely distributed with request for suggestion and criticism. After some months of such discussion the committee is usually able to agree with practical unanimity. They then report to the sponsor organization which submits the code to the American Engineering Standards Committee for approval.

The code of the illuminating engineers was the first to be finally approved as an American standard.

This much it is desirable to say in order to show with what care and thoroughness and in what a representative manner these codes are being prepared.

In essential particulars the standard code and the New York code are alike. In method of treatment they differ. For example, the standard code lists under the light intensities required the industrial

i See New York Department of Labor Bulletin No 18, Industrial code rules (as amended) relating to lighting olfactories and mercantile establishm?nts, New York, 1922; and Illuminating Engineering So. ciety, Code of lighting factories, mills, and other work places, American standard, approved Dec. 31, 1921, by American Engineering Standards Committee, New York, 1922.

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INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE. 165

processes needing such intensity. The New York code lists the processes and specifies under each the desirable intensities. In this matter the New York code has evidently the advantage. An in- spector confronted with a specific case would naturally wish to find the particular industry first and afterwards the intensity appro-

Ïriate f this to is

it. listed

For in

example, alphabetical

he is order inspecting

he will a printing

readily find establishment,

it and dis- f this is listed in alphabetical order he will readily find it and dis- cover there that stereotype casting requires an intensity of one foot candle. It may fairly be urged upon the illuminating engineers that they rearrange Table II of the standard code in this form.

The standard code discusses "Avoidance of glare" fully, giving tables by which light sources may be rated in respect of glare. The New York code simply requires that glare be "minimized."

It is to these sections and the tables therein contained that the criticism of the standard code as being "too complicated" is usually directed.

It may be said of this criticism that the complication is apparent rather than real and that it is impossible to deal with such a subject as the proper adjustment of lighting sources without some degree of complication.

The standard code treats rather fully the matter of exit and emer- gency" lighting. The New York code simply specifies an intensity.

From a safety standpoint the New Yora: code must be regarded as defective. The records show that failure of exit lighting has more than once been a serious matter and that the standard code gives none too much attention- to the subject.

Finally it may be urged that in the interests of uniformity it is much to be hoped that the State organization will modify as little as possible the provisions of the standard oodes in adapting than to their uses.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has had so much trouble in its own particular province with the variant methods m use in the several States, eacn excellent in itself, but impossible of combination and correlation, that it has a very sympathetic interest in any sort of uniformity which can be properly secured.

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