The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-11-23
PROTECTING The
TOILERS' HEALTH
What Has Been Done by Labor
Sanitation Conference.
SAFEGUARDING The WORKER

Movement Came into Existence as a
Result of Experiments In Co-opera-
ton With Trade Unions--Mueh Good
Already Accomplished In Promoting
Cleanliness In Workshops.
Establishment OF New York city's
division of industrial hygiene, for the
purpose of promoting healthful condi-
tons in factories and workshops, was
the first formal effort of the kind ever
attempted by municipal executives In
the United States. The significance of
the effort to protect the standing army
OF the industrial workers was recog-
nized by President Wilson, Governor
Whitman. Samuel Gompers. Meyer
London and leaders of the Central
Federated union and other organiza-
lions OF labor who early In 1915 In
dorsed the work the city government
was undertaking.
For more than two years this new
activity In industrial hygiene has been
conducted on modest scale. without
parade or advertising, but an effort
has been made of late to discover
whether the community appreciates
the value of industrial health protec
tton and is willing to support the plan
to make 1t a fixed branch of the mu-
nicipal government Approval by
working people has been evidenced
literally The division OF industrial
hygiene has justified It's existence
through the instrumentality of the la
Dor sanitation conference
This labor sanitation conference rep
resents the beginning of movement
In which the leading central labor or
ganizations and ninety three local IN
ions or trade bodies with member
ship of more than 100000 in the city,
have enrolled for the purpose of i'm
proving sanitary conditions In the haz
ardous industries. 1t is a domestic
body, controlled and directed by labor
Itself 1t is a permanent organization
TO promote sanitation. and it has sery-
ed to bring laboring people into inti-
macy with the department Of health,
so that they may learn at first hand
what the municipality is doing La en-
forcing and maintaining proper sani-
tary standards In shops and factories
The labor sanitation conference
came into existence as q result Of ex-
periments ia cooperation with labor
unions which the division of industrial
hygiene undertook some time ago.
Studies of 400 painters aud 889 fur
riers carried on by the divisions physi-
clans and the unions of these two
trade groups led to a unique expert
ment in connection with Typographical
union No s, or Big Six" as It Is
called. Through the president Of big
Six" Leon II Rouse. its sanitation
committee was instructed to prepare
QUESTIONABLE requiring information with
respect to lighting. ventilation. pres
ence of proper devices for controlling
lead fumes, washing facilities, etc
The chairman of every composing
room was held responsible for return
Ing answers to the questions relating
to sanitary conditions in the compos-
ing room. Only those places In which
sanitary defects were noted were in
spected by the department of health.
This system Of self inspection is
great economy in administration, as
1t eliminates unnecessary official visits
to establishments in which sanitary
conditions are good and satisfactory
to the workers themselves 1t also