The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-10-16

Initiative Measure No. 8, providing
first aid" treatment for injured work
men as an amendment to the Com
pensation Act, is the result Of the
failure of the Legislature to incor-
porate first aid" in the bill as passed,
after it had been incorporated in the
original bill drawn by the Commission
appointed by Gov. Hay
Manufacturers have quite generally
agreed to the principle of "first aid"
but declare their hostility to the pro-
posed initiative measure. The follow
ing argument for the initiative First
aid bill has been prepared by Ham
ilton Higday of Seattle, formerly a
member of the Industrial Insurance
Commission, a thorough student of
Workman's Compensation and a firm
advocate of First Aid" 1t represents
the views of the proponents of this
measure.
AN ACT to encourage industrial safe
ty and relating to treatment of
workers injured in eXtra-hazardous
employment, fixing pecuniary liabil-
ity therefor, providing for arbitra-
ton of disputes, prohibiting certain
deductions from wages, and impOs-
ing duties on the Industrial Insur-
ance Department.
Initiative Measure No 9-the First
Aid" bill-deserves the approval Of
citizens of the State for the following
reasons, among others:
l. GENERAL PURPOSE. The bill
was drafted to accomplish three pri-
mary objects, ID Stimulates the
prevention of work-accidents; (2) AS
sure injured men speedy and certain
medical care; (3) Abolish the coercive
hospital fee system and place en-
ployees' sickness funds under state
supervision.
2. LIMITED TO EXTRA-HAZA ARD
GUS TRADES. The bill applies only
| to extra-haZardous trades, and fills
the gap left by the Legislature of 1911
when the first aid provision, so-called,
was stricken from the Workmen's
Compensation Act. That law, as pass
ed, left the workman to pay his own
medical bills. 1t also prohibited the
! injured workman from suing his en-
ployer where his medical care costs
far more than he is awarded from
/ the state accident fund. This is true
even in cases where injury from in
/ eXcusable negligence of the employer
or his agents would have resulted in
/ jury verdicts of $4,000 or $4,000 un-
der the common law. Employers in
/ dangerous trades are thus absolutely
insured against litigation; the work
man gets only what the state gives
him.
Briefly the present bill imposes
upon the employer the duty of pay
! ing for the doctoring and medicines
needed when the men whom he en-
ploys for his own profit get hurt in
his services. Where the surgical or
hospital expenses exceed 500. the
state then steps in and pays the ex-
cess out of the collective accident
! fund
8. SAFETY FIRST" The key
idea of this bill is; "An Act to en-
courage industrial safety"
To achieve greater safety in dan
/ gerous occupations is progress; to
pay compensation after an preventa-
Bile injury is mere apology. Any act
of organized society which measure
bly, reduces the sum total of human
agony from industrial accidents-with
their waste of human working power
and the driving from home of women
and children untitled for breadwin-
ning-deserves the vigorous support
of every citizen.
Fifty per cent of work accidents
are preventable safety First" has
become a slogan throughout the ma
ton. Safeguards on dangerous ma
chimes are only a first step. Undue
speeding of men, needless litter at
plant bad light, unwarned green
hands, defective apparatus. inCOn-
siderate foreman-preventa acct
dents result largely from such causes
which are wrongly classified as trade
risks" 1t is in the power of the en-
ployer to stop injuries from such
things; and generally at slight eX-
pense and with equal output A half
dozen state factory insDectors can't