Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-06
STUDIES ACCIDENTS
At THE NAVY YARD
Passed Assistant Surgeon
BIoedorn investigates and
Recommends Preventlves.

with a. view to the aoopIioh vi 'Ae
ures for the prevention OF industrial
accidents at the Washington navy
,.-d Passed Assistant Surgeon w. A
Rloedorn of the navy recently made a
thorough study of all such cases that
occurred during the period OF Two
wears beginning January l. 1914 Inc
average number of men employed was
2o2 The total number of men who
renorted one or moro injuries was
a.17s. OF the All injuries received
by those men, 1853 were received by
1873 men, or, as DR.. Bloedorn puts It.
Sc per cent of the total number OF
men who were injured received over
as per cent of the total number OF
INJURIES The three most ire
auent injuries received, in the oroer Vi
tusions and foreign bodies in the eye.
Five injuries resulted fatally, three
being caused by falling objects. one
being the result of fall and one being
caused by machinery. Ihe SIX SHOPS ~
showing the highest percentage OF IN
1uries in their relative order were the
sight, cartridge case, gunners' WORK
shop, miscellaneous. primer ana erect
ing.
geon Bloedorn in his report, rs a
fruitful source of injury. and one that
may be counteracted through various
sa fety devices. The high-speed ma
chimes. such as grinders. circular and
band saws, and high-speed lathes, are
particularly dangerous and require the
use of safety devices. The heavy.
slow-speed machines. such as planners,
shapers, slotters and slow-speed
lathes. are comparatively less hazard
| Gus.
Work with hand tools and simple
apparatus exposes the workman to fire.
quent injury, mostly OF the nature OF
| wounds of the upper extremities, par
ticularly of the fingers and hands, the
ma jority of which are slight and cause
| no loss of time. Carrying. lifting and
| transportation resulted in a relatively
small percentage of injuries and in
cludes muscular strains and sprains due
to lifting and carrying. Contact with
dangerous substances, such as molten
| metal. live wires and the various caus-
| tic solutions, was responsible for a
| small number of injuries
Younger Men Mostly Injured.
The highest percentage of injuries
occurred among employees between the
ages of sixteen and twenty and de-
creased steadily to those between the
ages of fifty and f1fty-nine, who showed
the lowest injury rate, and from this
point the percentage of injuries showed
| a slow but constant rise with advancing
| age. The colored employees showed a
| higher injury rate than the white en-
ployes. although engaged. as rule. in
| less hazardous work The single en-
ployes showed higher injury rate than
the married employees. The injury rate
was markedly higher during the first
six months of employment and decreas-
ed steadily and constantly as the length
Of time employed increased The skill.
ed employees showed the lowest per-
Icentage of injuries and the helpers ano
apprentices showed the highest per
lcentage of injuries, with the laborer.
standing about midway between the
two.
TT appears that individuals diffe
greatly in their susceptibility to injury
although engaged in the same class o
work. and that this susceptibility to in
jury varies in the same individual from
time to time 1t is believed that tn
| following recommendations will aid il
cidents and will help in the genera
campaign toward safety:
Recommendations to Lessen Injuries
That special attention be given tn
new employe until he becomes thor
oughly acquainted with his machine O
tool. and with his fellow workmen, wit
whom he must cooperate in perform
ing his daily task, and that he be in
structed in the risks to which the char
acter of his work exposes him and tn
manner in which he may avoid thes
risks. This applies alike to apprentice
who are learning their trade and t
minors, who form a considerable per
centage of the new employees.
That special effort be made to avoi
accident during the first two-hour pc
Rod of the day, which is considered tn
most dangerous period of employment
That the employees who appear mos
susceptible to injury be given particu
lar attention and an effort made to de
: crease their susceptibility to injury
either by correcting any physical de
fects which may exist or by instructor
and education along the lines of &C
cident prevention.
That the use of protective google
be made compulsory for all employe
engaged in work which exposes the eye
to frequent injury from flying par
each man individually so that they Fl
the orbital margin snugly and rende
the workman immune to injury whe
he does wear them, and that extr
titles SO that when a lens becomes dis
figured by flying chips which becom
embedded in the glass and interfer
with vision it may be replaced by
new lens.
That particular attention be give
the shops that show a high percentae
| of injuries and those that show a hip
loss of time per man.
That exposed shafts belts, pulley
fywheels, gears. circular and ban
saws. and emery wheels be provide
with guards wherever practicable"
Quickest Service to Baltimore.
|