Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-05-14
SAFETY FOR THE employees
Northwestern is Making a Remark
able Record by Its Plan.
ACCIDENTS REDUCED BY HALF
Employees Are EnterinE Into the
spirit of the work and Good RE-
suits Are Beins shown in
All Departments.


Safety for employees" has become the
watchword in a Campaign for this very
thing started by the Northwestern last
July. Safety first. efficiency and economy
next declared the official who started the
movement and the experience has proved
it to be the best working plan ever devised
for these three necessities in railroad work
The plan has saved thousands of the
employees Of the company from accident
statistics showing a so per cent decrease
In accidents in April of 1911 over the same
month in 1910. In addition 1t has saved the
company thousands of tons of coal and
material because looking for defects that
might cause accident. the defects in man
ner OF caring for material and waste OF
material appear also and are corrected
In the month OF April. 1911. there were
1872 accidents, as compared with CAS- in
April, 1910. This is the first time that there
has been q full decrease of so per cent, but
the statistics show that from July 1, 1910,
to April l, 1911, the number of employees
injured was 5,S01, against 6,706 in the for
mer year. This decrease of 905 people in
jured came in the ten months OF organiza-
ton and In the near future the road hopes
to reduce a much greater percentage.
The plan of working is so simple that 1t
might have been working out through mere
experience years ago. on many railroads.
On the last Saturday of each month, be-
ginning last spring, the company officials
called meetings of men from every branch
Of the service to discuss the problem. The
meetings were held in the offices OF the
division superlntendents and the division
mechanics and questions of operation and
suggestions for improvements taken up.
The division superintendent met with the
general superintendent later and sugges-
tons that appeared as likely of good re-
suits were taken up with the general man
ayers and put into effect.
suggestions from All.
Starting on this crude system II soon be-
come possible for the lowliest employe, a
track walker or an engine wiper, to make
any suggestion in regard to the saving of
life and limb in his department and in
the next orders he may see 1t come out
with the presidents name under It,
Steps for organization of the road have
been taken and now in each division there
is a committee of investigation of all
safety suggestions. Division safety COM
mittees composed of division officials also
have been formed aud all reports go to a
central safety committee which takes them
Up beIlOhSlg anu lANeSli6aNGS NH6lAh III Tie
working out of their system the safety
committee reports show that IL is the little
things that have caused the worst acct
dents and nothing is now too small to be
passed over.
r. c. Richards, general claim agent, is
the chairman Of the central committee and
other members are s. G. Strickland, gem
eral division superintendent; II. T. Bentley,
1
G.. B. Shrand, trainmaster Chicago terml-
nails; c. H. Osborne, assistant superintend-
ent car department.; W. ]. Towne, engineer
maintenance of way; II. z. Rickensen, d.
vision superintendent; w. E. Durham, SUI
pervisor motive power and machinery, and
e. E. Nash.
| Some of the ideas presented and being
used in the system to keep the idea OF
the conservation of men and things" be-
fore each employee are most original, many
of them appear hardly worth considering.
But each man is working with good spirit
and the spirit between the official and the
!