The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-08-30
INDUSTRIAL
ACCIDENTS
CONFERENCE
Employers Asked to Meet the Indus
trial Insurance Commission in
Seattle to Confer on the
Subject
Olympia, Washington,
August 9Th, 1918.

August 9Th, 1918.
Notice is hereby given that a gen.
eral conference of contributors in
all classes under the Washington
State Workmen's Compensation Act
will be held in the assembly room
of the Seattle Chamber of Com
merce, Arctic Building, Seattle, Wash
ington, at 10 o'clock A. NJ, Wednes-
day, September 4th, 1918.
The purpose of this conference
will be to discuss the merit rating
provision of the industrial insurance
law and to consider the best method
of operating under it to secure the
greatest result in accident preven-
tion work. In addition to the pro-
vision for merit rating based on
the standards of safety and accident
prevention, as maintained by differ
ent plants, the law provides that
the commission shall on or before
the Both day of September and the
31st day of March in each year,
make corrections of classifications
as between classes of industry if
any experience shall show error or
inaccuracy therein, and, therefore,
this matter will also be considered
ut this conference as we'll as any
other vital question touching upon
the problem of industrial insurance
and methods of compensation and
treatment of injured workmen.
In the face of all that ha sheen
done by the employers in some parts
OF the state to promote the work of
accident prevention there still re-
main thousands of employers who
have not interested themselves in
this important activity. Accidents
are increasing tremendously and
plans must be devised and put into
operation to induce all of the en-
ployers under the act to do every
thing that can be done to eliminate
accidents and reduce the cost of
industrial insurance. For the fiscal
year ending September Both, 1917
there were a grand total of 1858
accidents in the industries under the
of this act, for which
was allowed and re-
serves set aside in the amount of
81 ,866, ,907.61. For the ten months
If the present fiscal year there have
'een 22,136 accidents. While acci-
ients are increasing, that increase
would be vastly greater than it is
low were it not for the fact that
Iuite number of employers of the
tate have succeeded in greatly re-
lucing the accidents in their plants
" establishing and maintaining a
cry high standard of accident pre-
ention work. A few of these have
in this work so intensively
hat they have reduced their acci-
ent cost to almost nothing. What
hese men have done can be done
y others and the commission feels
hat it is entirely possible to devise
1eans of bringing this fact to the
ttention of practically all the en-
loyers of the state and in that way
Mist their cooperation. We feel
that if this support can
e secured that accident cost can be
educed fully fifty per cent. The
aving of million to a million and
half dollars annually to the en-
loyers of this state is something
'orth striving for, to say nothing
the man power which at this
me is so necessary to the sup
Ort of the nation.
We are asking you, Mr. Employer,
give one or two days of your
me to come to this conference and
cooperate with this commission in
lie consideration of this problem,
'eling that if we do that it will
suit in great economy and at the
me time be performing splen-
d patriotic and humanitarian duty.
Ity.
Yours very truly,
INSURANCE COM
MISSION,
H. L. Hughes, Chairman.
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