The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-05-11
Industrial Accidents.

The enactment of laws in various states
on workmen's compensation for injuries mas
aroused increased interest in the STATISTICS
and physical and psychic conditions OF 1nduS-
trial accidents. The total number Oh these
accidents is almost appalling. The lowest
estimate places the fatal accidents to adult
workers in the United States at $4,000
wear, with an additional 1,25O,OOO non-tata!
accidents. The Massachusetts Industrial
Accident Board, on the other hand, placed
the number of workers Killed by accldent
yearly at 5000, which apparently includes
not only adults, but also workers Of all ages,
while the number of injured of the same
classes was placed by this Massachusetts, au-
thority at 100000 or over. An earthquake
in a foreign country that kills half this num-
Der of persons and mains one-htt1eth OF
those injured in our United States industries
is spoken of as catastrophe.
A greater proportion of accidents occur
on Monday than on any other day OF the
week. Accidents are said to be due OFTEN
to fatigue. AS after the day OF rest on
Sunday, workmen should be less tatgueo
than ON other days some other factor must
be sought to explain this feature OF the sta
tistics 1t has been suggested that the blue
Monday accidents are really due to the fact
that w0rkmen take more liquor on sunday,
and thus become unnerved and more liable
tn accidents during the following twenty
four hours. There is, perhaps, something
in this contention says the Journal of the
American Medical Association, though it has
been disputed. In the Massachusetts Indus
trial Accident Board reports, in which the
official figures are given, there is scarcely
more than one-twentieth more accidents on
Monday than on Tuesday while Tuesday
is not much above the average in the num-
her of accidents reported for other days.
Saturday, of course, shows noteworthy re-
duction, because of the half holiday in some
trades.
BY far the larger number of accidents oc-
cur at about 0 a. m. and p. m This fact
is confirmed by the reports of two state
boards, Washington and Massachusetts,. The
tendency to speed up employment has been
incriminated as the predisposing condition
for the occurrence of accidents. This de-
sire comes over the workman when he is
not vet fatigued, but has been employed
for several hours. He starts the morning
work cold" and as he warns up to his
work the danger of mischance because OF
haste becomes greater Just when the speed
ing up reaches a climax in the morning
hours most accidents happen. The same
thing is true in the afternoon. Workmen
feel sluggish after their lunch, but after an
hour of work warm up again, and by about
8 O'Clock they are doing their most rapid
work. and are at the same time more sub
ject to accident.
With regard to accidents among children,
however there is no hour or maximum.
Accidents occur at all times, and they are
comparatively much more frequent among
children than adults. The United States
Bureau of Labor reported that there IS
clear evidence of great liability to accident
on the part of children. Though employed
in the less hazardous work their rates stead
ilv exceed those of the older co-workers,
even when in that group are included the
occupations of relatively high liability.