The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-02-14
The "Safety First" Movement

The Safety First" movement, which received unanimous indorse
ment by the convention held at Reno last month, has been making great
headway, and figures recently compiled by Mr.. Albert Fay and issued in
the form of a bulletin by the Bureau of Mines indicate the success of
the movement. In Analysing these figures the Mining and Scientific
Press says it is an encouraging and hopeful sign to find that there was
a decrease i'll the number of fatalities in the metal mines during the
year 1912 as compared with the preceding year, although this decrease
only amounted to per cent. While the figures for 1913 are not yet
available for comparison, it is reasonable to believe that they will show
a correspondingly notable decrease.
The Safety First idea has taken a great hold upon the employ
RS OF labor in hazardous operations and in most instances every safe
guard possible is thrown around the maj who works. During 1912
the number of men killed in and about metal mines in the United States
was COL, compared with 6o5 killed in 1911, 80 we may consider that "a
human lives we're saved. This saving of life is well worth while, but
the number of fatalities and accidents is still appallngly large. Mine
operators, however, have awakened to the necessity for keeping their
workings in better condition and providing more adequate safety appl-
ances, ST it is hoped that there will be a gradually diminishing death
list in the future. In many states the enactment of rather drastic work
mems compensation laws has forced operators to adopt elaborate precau-
tonary measures, but a large number OF mine managers have volun-
tarly provided better facilities for guarding the lives OF their en-
poyes since they have found this to be wise from a purely economic
standpoint.
An instructive comparison is made between the number OF acct
dents in metal mines and those in coal mines. Although the apparent
fatality rate in 1912 was higher in metal mines than in coal proper
ties, the comparison is not just, because, although the metal miners
worked 2S7 days during the year. the coal miners worked but 25
days. Using a Sooday year a a basis, and reducing the figures from
both the metal and coal mines to a common denomnator, the average
fatality rate for all of the metal mines becomes 400, and that for the
coal mines 436 per thousand. On this basis, therefore, the fatality rate
in coal mines is actually the higher.
The effect of careful management and systematic efforts to de-
crease the number of accidents OIL the part OF the larger mining com
panies has been a material lowering of the fatality rate i'll the large
mines a S compared with small properties and prospects. In the case
of the small mines the average number of days worked was only los
for the year, compared with 3o5 days for the copper mines and 27
days for the gold and miscellaneous metal mines. On the basis OF a
year of 800 working days, the fatality rate in mines where less than
1000 days work was 400 per thousand. The fatalities in and about
prospects and small mines we're chiefly due to the careless handling Of
explosives, mad secondarny to shaft accidents. The more careful super
vision and regulation OF the larger properties is evidenced by the small
er number of accidents caused by explosives.