The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-10-11


slant, machine that Is under human
control moves three inches too far and
brushes a man to death. Another does
not look where he is stepping and as
result falls down shaft. The shaft
should have been guarded to protect
the thoughtless. Lead pencils have
rubbers because people make mis-
takes. Industries have many acct
dents because of mistakes; many oc-
cur because of carelessness, and many
because of inadequate mechanical
safety devices. Mistakes are made by
manager as we'll as by employee; both
are often careless and both are re-
sponsible for mechanical equipment
the employer in providing it and the
employe i'm keeping it in proper con-
dition when Installed and turned over
to him to operate.
In all Industries there are a certain
number of accidents that are inherent
and for which it is impossible to place
the blame on anyone. Such accidents
in the mining industry equal about so
per cent of the total. The RESPONSE
bility for the remainder may be placed
about equally on the operator and the
employe as shown by the records of
the mine inspectors of the Union of
South Africa.
In order that the accident records
OF one company or one state may be
comparable with those of others, they
should be collected and tabulated on
a uniform basis, care being taken to
separate each branch of industry from
all others. The number of men en-
ployed should be classified into I'M
foreground and surface employees, and
a corresponding grouping of fatal and
non fatal injuries should be made ac-
cording to the principal cases. Uni
formity may be brought about by the
standardization of state laws relating
to statistics. The bureau of mines Is
doing all in it's power toward this end,
a committee, having drafted standard
rules and regulations relating to metal
mines. one relating to coal mines is
under consideration. 1t is hoped that
state, legislatures will adopt, as nearly
as conditions will permit, the rules
and regulations proposed by the bur-
eau. The operators can help in this.
Necessity for Exact Records.
| Exact records of labor are neces-
sary and should include the number
of men on the payroll, days and the
wages lost by reason of accidents as
well as days off duty for other causes.
A classification of employees by occu-
patton is desirable by reason of the
varying occupational hazards. mas
much as all industrial plants do not
have the same number of working
hours per day or per year, it would
assist very materially If the matter of
comparing accident records and rates
II the operators would keep record
of the time actually worked by all the
employees. In other words, the plant
which operates on the basis of 10,
hour day should have greater acct
dent hazard than a similar one oper-
ating on an S-hour basis. and a COM
justment is not fair to either the on-
or the other The companys payroll
in every case, except in contract labor.
should show the number of hours for
which wages are paid during the day.
week. month or year Taking the
number of hours as a basis upon which
to calculate the accident frequency, 1t
Is an easy matter to arrive at the
number of 30OO-hour or 1000 hour
workers as the case may be.
Comparing accidents on the basis of
the number of men on the payroll is
rot strictly correct, although it may
answer for all comparative purposes.
In most cases the namber on the pay
roll is considerably higher than the
number actually at work, thus hav-
ing tendency to show in reality a
lower accident record than would
otherwise appear.
Correct Records Lower Insurance |
Rates.
II the operators are DESTROYS of OBJ
tanning lower insurance rates than
they are now paying, it can be obtain
ed by keeping correct records of labor I
and all accidents, and having avail
able sufficient proof to show that the
accidents at certain plants are not as
nigh as they are at other plants of a
similar nature, The absence of rec /,
'rds has tendency to hold the rates
higher than perhaps they should.
The campaign for education of EN-
'loyes in the various industries has
lso been extended to the mining in
ustry and many of the larger oper- [
tors are in various ways making spe-
ial efforts to educate their workmen.
10 far as accidents are concerned a
robably the principal thing that can @
G done by the operator along educa- T