Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-02-13
LIGHTS FACTOR
IN DECREASING
ACCIDENT LIST
Electrical World Says Ii Is
Generally Conceded That
Proper Lighting Tends To-
ward Prevention,

tFrom the Electrical WorldO
II is generally agreed that good
lighting. indoors and out. tends to pre-
vcntiOn Of accidents, and some statis
teal data on the matter are already at
hand. In the discussion Of Industrial
lighting recently before the llluminat-
ing Engineering society in London
some additional data and suggestions
appear which are worth consideration
In the first place q four years record
of accidents to persons on RAILWAYS
obtained from the board OF trade re-
turns gave striking evidence that
darkness brings accidents in increas-
ing numbers. In this instance no ac-
cldtntS occurring to trains were con-
sidercd, but only those which involved
simply persons ana these increased
nearly 20 per cent in the mid-wintcr
period The increase was especially
noticeable in connection with ace.
dents to employees.
Data From Factories.
This agrees in the main with the
genera data obtained from factories.
all OF which seem to show that dark
seasons and the dark hours are the
dangerous ones incidentally, one OF
those discussing the problem intimated
! that there was some evidence at hand
to show that the period of transition
from natural to artificial lighting was
one more than usually productive OF
accidents. Whether the observed diff
ference IS actually due to the trans-
ton period, or merely to the fact that
this period occurs at dusk when the
total lighting is at a minimum, re-
mains to BE- seen.
Further. some very pertinent sug-
- oh
stairways were brought out. Stairways
are generally rather badly lighted
since those going up or down them
are too often in their own shadows
and exposed to over bright sources of
light, if light there be. Well-shaded
and well-placed lamps lighting the
stairways somewhat obliquely so as to
diminish the shadow difficulties would
save many q tumble.
Faulty Placing of Street Lamps
In this same line one may mention
the all TO frequent habit of placing
street lamps exactly along the line of
a crossing so that everyone walking in
it away from the light is in dense
shadow and cannot in the least see
whether the crossing is clear or besct
with more or less serious pitfalls. Ii
quite as bad in going toward the light
vi Il tIpNdtN tlbHSlnSt because OF NIlt
shadows OF the persons ahead The
result is generally more annoying than
serious. but the same fault carried OUT
on Il long staircase might produce
grave accidents. Staircases in factory
buildings are usually not we'll lighted
generally through sheer carelessness
Wellshaded and ample light is the in
dustrial insurance company's best
friend \ company engaged in this
sort Of business ought actively to co.
operate in enforcing suitable lighting.
The fire underwriters have done an
enormous amount Of work in improy-
ing the safety of electrical instala-
tons.
Have Power to Enforce.
They have the power to enforce
their DEGREES. and so have those who
in dealing with Industrial insurance
find additional risks produced by inef-
flcient and improper lighting. 1t is a
case where a little forcthouGht will
give great assistance in helping to en-
force statutory regulations by efficient
insurance rules.