Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-17
SEEKING TO MAKE
RAILROADS SAFE"
Mr.. BeInap Tells Of Plan in
Reciting Casualties to
Safety Council,
GIVES ASTOUNDING FACTS

ST. LOUIS, September 1.-THE rail-
road administration looks upon the
subject of railroad accidents. taken
from whatever angle. as an important
and serious one, and concentrated
movement is on foot through the
safety section of the administration
to make the railroads as safe as me-
chanical ingenuity and the develop
ment Of the human element will allow.
These facts were brought out today
by Hiram w. Belnap' of the safety
section of the railroad administration
in a paper he read on What the
United States Railroad Administration
Expects of the Different Safety Organ
iZatiors in the Promotion OF Safety
Work. before the National Safety
Council here.
Mr.. Belknap presented figures show
ing that in the five-year period ended
December 81. 1917, there was a total
casualty list on American railroads
of sS0,565. OF this number 4S.S01 were
deaths and 931.764 were injuries.
More than $4,000 of the killed and
more than 100000 of the injured were
employees of the different roads.
"As indicative Of this loss OF life
and limb in the operation of our rail-
roads," said Mr.. Belknap, "in 1916 In
train accidents alone one employe was
killed every three and one-half hours;
one employe was injured every ten
minutes And taking into account all
accidents. one employe was either
killed or injured every three minutes
during the entire year. Then, too,
there Is an immense amount OF money
paid out every year on account OF
accidents.
Two Prime Requisites.
He pointed out that service. and
safety are the two prime requisites
of the successful transportation sys-
tenn. The two elements. having the
most important bearing upon both
service and safety. he stated. are the
mechanical and physical which involve
safe machinery, track and structure.
and the human element. which moves
the entire personnel from the highest
officer to the humblest employe: The
mechanical element he declared, was
the easier problem to solve. while the
human element is the great problem
Suggested improvements were the
provision of machines and working
conditions so that all employees might
pursue in safety their normal activ-
tiles. Most accidents, he pointed out,
can be avoided by proper education.
supervision and care, and through
well organized, efficiently handled
safety committees a. great deal can
and will be accomplished.
Fewer Fatal Accidents.
The 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 a still greater reduction. w. H.
Cameron. general manager of the Ma
tional Safety Council, told delegates
to the seventh annual safety congress
here yesterday.
give years ago the most accurate
statistics available showed that $4,000
men and women lost their lives every
year in this country through in
dustrial accidents" the speaker said.
Hundreds of thousands others suffer-
ed accidents Of a more or less serious
nature and still others suffered minor
mishaps. The number Of industrial
accidents reached the enormous total
of 100000 every year. Today this
total has been reduced one-third in
fatal accidents and probably even
more in less serious mishaps.
1.-The accomplishment is rather diff
cult to analyzes One. group Of ON
ployers adopted one course, other
groups obtained success through diff
IeTSnI -CHdHneIS, Out In0 popular
means was to rightly overhaul exist
ing equipment and place mechanical
safeguards where experience showed
them to be necessary.
beginning with a handful of en-
thusiastic young engineers anxious to
place their experience at the service
of industry. the safety council has
grown until today nearly 1000 Of the
largest business institutions of Amer
lea are grouped together in a CO.
operative. non-profit-taking organ
ization devoted solely to the conserva-
ton of the man-power Of America.
IF safety was entirely an engineer
ing problem the task Of preventing
accidents would be simple. Mechan-
ical safeguards are excellent things
but no piece of mechanism has ever
been made 'foolproof.' 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
accidents are caused by men stepping
on nails. dropping things on their
feet. falling from ladders. stumbling
and other similar happenings"