The sun., 1919-10-19
Safety First Movement Cuts Railroad
Casualty List 81 1886 in Half Year

practically every railroad in the coun-
try. has been encouraged and devel.
oped by the United States Railroad
Administration and the safety sec
ton of the division of operations, un-
der the management of A. F. Duffy,
has not only seconded the efforts
made' by individual lines, but has Co
ordinated and unified the work with
remarkable success. In the various
districts, or regions" as they are
called, into which> the railroad mile
age of the country has been divided
for purposes of administration by
Government authorities, mo Accident"
campaigns have been conducted,
usually for a week or a month and
an extraordinary reduction in acci-
dents as compared with the CORE.
spending period in the previous year
has been noted in every case.
In January the Southern region,
with $4,000 miles of track and approXi.
| mately 100000 employees. staged
NO Accident Week." and the total
casualties were only seventy-seven
as against 466 in the same week ot
1918. The accidents which the Safety
First movement is endeavoring 10
prevent include, of course, not only
| those in train service but accidents in
the shops and yards as well as death
and injury to trespassers on railroad
property. Grade crossing accidents,
too, from which the casualty list has
grown enormously as a result OF the
wide use of automobiles. are among
the topics which have received atten-
ton from Safety First men on every
railroad in the country.
Other original organizations which
have held intensive safety campaigns
| include the Southwestern, with l74SSi
employees, where casualties for May,
1919, were Gas, compared With l4ii
! for May. 1918, and the Central West
! ern. upon whose 55 900 miles OF track
! there were only 100 casualties during
the week of June 22-29. 1919, as COM
! pared with 456 during the same week
! in 1918. This region has 327, 900 EN-
| ployees. The Northwestern region.
also held a safety first week duri9
June and reported a reduction in a'Ss-
| dents causing personal injury from
| 4S1 in 1918 to ll9 for 1919.
| Nationwide Movement on.
Encouraged by the showing made
| in the various regions, the Railroad
Administration is planning q na:Re-
wide no accident drive for the period
between October IS and 81, when a de-
termined and concentrated effort will
/ be made on every road in the country
| TO keep the slate clean for at least
| two weeks.
! Most accidents, result either from
unsafe machinery and tools or from
careless practices on the part OF en-
/ ployees. Dangerous conditions can hc
| permanently remedied, and it is mo
belief of those who have studied mo
| question that the stimulus Of the
meetings, posters and other methods
/ employed during these drives viii 40
much to correct the mental attitud" Ok
| the Indifferent or reckless wor-meu.
Besides enlisting the cooperation OF
! existing safety committees OF officials
| and employees TO whom suggestions
| for improvements in equipment O. IN
methods are sent for recommendation.
I the plans of the safety section Of ths
! Railroad Administration inCIuGe meet
/ ings called by foremen and gang BOSSES
for instructions, pledge cards binding
I those who sign them to abstain from
unsafe practices, bulletins OF progress
To engender friendly rivalry between
different roads or between different
! divisions, and departments of tho same
/ road, cooperation of labor organiza-
tions through their publications ana
meetings, and finally publicity ~
means OF circulars, posters and rallies