The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-09-22
SAFETY FIRST MAKING
\. { v. WORKERS SAFE
Reduction of Employees Injured, Since
1919, Is Thrty-seven Per Cent FRI
tecnth Bulletin shows.
ACCIDENT HAZARD is REDUCED
Percentage of Increased Safety Is
Steadily Growing-Campaign In
augurated In 1913 Is Proving Highly
Observation-Disclosures Compared.

| BcnenC1al-FtgurcS compared.
What the Safety First" movement
has done for the Norfolk and West
ern Railway in the way of preventing
accidents to employees and passen-
gers and the loss of property through
wrecks. is Interestingly told in the
! fifteenth Safety First Bulletin just
issued from the general offices, at
Roanoke
In 1915, says the bulletin. the Nor
folk and Western was 81 per
cent safer place to work than q
was in 1912. This percentage of in
creased safety is being steadily raised.
Summarizing the tangible results of
the Safety First" movement since
the last bulletin was issued, the If
teenth bulletin says:
Has the safety movement really
reduced accidents on the Norfolk and
Western?
| This query is OF vital interest to
every officer on this railroad who has
at heart the welfare Of his employees
and the prosperity of the property.
and Is of even more interest to every
employe who values hts own safety
and the protection OF his family.
1.-The question may best be am,
swered, not by a multitude of words,
| but by few plain figures which are
easily understood and are indisput-
able; that the government reports of
are indisputable goes without saying
because they are made under oath.
They, therefore, are used to show the
ifuctuation in our accident record To
merely show that more or fewer ac-
ctdents have occurred during one
period than during another. alone,
proves nothing. because tho volume Of
business varies, causing the number
OF men employed to vary. which
means more men or fewer men ex-
posed to injury. Therefore. so that a
comparison may be made Of the fiuc-
tuation of injuries with the fluctua-
ton of business, total locomotive
miles are shown, and so that the
other angle, tons of freight carried
one mile are also shown
Movement Inaugurated In 1913.
The safety movement was inaug-
urated on the Norfolk and Western
during 1918. However, in the state
ment just issued by a Representative
of the company, the figures for 1912
are shown also, so that a broader
view Of the situation may he had. A
| little close study Of the following
| simple figures Will disclose an
Reinforcement not only remarkable and
unusual, but one which Is a distinct
credit to every employee on this rail-
road who has helped to make the
movement a success.
I'm 1912 there were sixty-one per-
sons killed; fifty-five permanently
crippled; and the total killed and In
tured during the year was 2.s7s. The
figures for the following years, In
Guiding 1918. are here shown:
"le13-F5lled, At; permanently
crippled. 54; total killed and injured.
3.112. 1914-Killed. 3s: permanently
crippled, IS: total killed and in jured.
2,092. 1el5--Killed 90; permanent
ly crippled. 20; total killed and in
1ured. 1881.
I'm the face of a constantly increas-
ing volume OF business a steady and
substantial decrease in every item
Is noted However. particular atten-
ton is called to the death and per-
manent injury totals
TN 1912 the company reported "a
employees killed for each ten million
locomotive miles run. The records
for 1915 show that l5 employees
were killed for each ten million
LOGON olive miles run. During the
, year Of 1919. 81 employees were per-
manently crippled for each ten mill
( lion locomotive miles run. and in
1918 only 112 employees were perma-
l nently crippled for each ten million
locomotive miles run. For 1912, ac-
cording to the company's records. 10a
employees were injured and killed
(combined) for each million locomo-
tive miles run, and during 1913, the
o<o1 ~ t~vfu
(combined) for each million locomo-
tive miles run was only 76.
. Deaths Decreased.
During 1912-as an average
!. every time 147,S88,603 tons of freigh,
were carried one mile an employe
a was killed. while In 1915-as an aver
age-306,179.s2 tons freight were
, carried one mile each time before an
!, employe was killed.
/ For every 3.3ss,635 tons of freigh,
carried one mile in 1912 some EN-.
ploye was injured. while in 1915 ar
employe was injured only for each
!, S.o19,s16 tons OF freight carried one
mile.
9 Locomotive miles have not in.
n creased in anything like the proper.
a ton of increase in tonnage, therefore
r a comparison Of injuries with loco.
p motive miles gives vastly less credit
]. than IS actually deserved. yet thil
d least favorable standard of COMPARE
. son Is used below to show that, ever
n when viewed from this most unfavor'
n able standpoint, accident reduction Of
= the most remarkable character In,
n been accomplished on the Norfolk
and Western. For example. durins
1912-as an average-every timt
s,7o3 engine miles were run an en-
! y>1n lvSAx d.
as an average-1s.293 engine milel
i were run each time before an en-
g ploye was injured.
x "A reduction in employees injured
r as compared with locomotive milel
It run, of 81 per cent. In short, in se