Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-16
ACCIDENTS HERE
REDUCED ATHIRD
IN LAST 5 YEARS
Statistics Given at Safety
Congress Show Good
Results Being
Obtained.
BY Associated Press.

St. Louis, Mo-, Sept. l6.-The to-
tai number OF fatal accidents in the
United States has been reduced one
third in the last FIVE years and the
number of less serious mishaps has
shown still greater reduction, w.
III Cameron, general manager of the
National Safety council, told dele
gates to the seventh annual safety
congress here today.
Five years ago the most accurate
statistics available showed that
$4,000 men and women lost their
lives every year in this country
through industrial accidents" the
speaker saiH Hundreds of thou
sands others suffered accidents of a
more or less serious nature and still
others suffered minor mishaps. The
number of industrial accidents
reached the enormous total of g.
100000 every year. Today this total
has been reduced one-third in fatal
accidents and probably even more in
less serious mishaps.
Different Methods.
THE accomplishment is rather
difficult to analyze. One group of
employers adopted one course, 9TH
er groups obtained success through
different channels, but the popular
means was to rigidly overhaul ex-
isting equipment and place mechani-
cal safeguards where experience
showed them to be necessary. In
industries where this course was fol-
lowed, the first year showed drop
ping off of some rs per cent both in
fatal and minor accidents. Where
this plan was supplemented by an
educational crusade the percentage
OF decrease in accidents mounted to
so, 90, rs and IS per cent.
Beginning with a handful Of en-
'thusiastic young engineers anxious
to place their experience at the
service of industry the Safety coun-
ell has grown until today nearly
1000 of the largest business institu-
tons of America are grouped to-
gether in q cooperative, nonproft-
taking organization devoted solely
to the conservation of the man-pow-
er of America"
Mr.. Cameron said that in all dis
tricts where workmen have been
taught the purpose of the councils
campaign, they have themselves be-
gun preaching the gospel of safety
IN industry.
Workmen Aid
THE workmen are heart and soul
with the movement. Nor are they
alone in recognizing its importance,
A few weeks ago more than two
score of college presidents, direc-
tors of technical schools and uni
versity professors gathered to plan
scientific course for our educa-
tional institutions. That phase of
the educational problem is well I'M
der way and soon safety engineering
will take its place with the older
and better known professions
"If safety was entirely an engi-
neering problem the task of pre-
venting accidents would be simple
Mechanical safeguards are excellent
things, but no piece of mechanism
has ever been made 'fooiproof.'
Safety implies education and the
acquisition of safe practices and
safety thinking by the workman is
as important as sound business
Judgment.
Nearly one-half of all industrial
'ccidents are caused by men step
njng on nails, dropping things on
heir feet, falling from ladders.
stumbling, and other similar hap
.penings When you hear a plant
representative say his organization
has touched SO per cent improve
ment in safety conditions, then you
know the educational safety factor
is working among his men. When
IS per cent is reached his employees
are thinking safety.
"And safety, as preached by the
National Safety council, approaches
very closely to applied christianity.
1t is bridge of sympathy and un-
Outstanding between employer and
employee, which is doing much to in
crease our industrial efficiency and
to maintain the enormous volume of
production necessary for the ade.
quate support of our army and
n,,v,, -