The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-01-21
.OCCUPATIONAL
SKIN DISEASES
ANY SKIN DISEASES IN YOUR
PLANT. DOCTOR?"

PLANT. DOCTOR?"
The investigation recently begun
by the u. S. Public Health Service
into the causes and prevalence of
skin diseases arising from occupa-
tional hazards is already yielding
interesting fruit. Most striking of
ALL so far, is the discovery of the
number of plants where many en-
| ployees are suffering from occupa-
tional diseases, most of them skin,
without either the plant physician
or the men themselves realizing
that their trouble is more than in
dividual.
"In one plant" said Surgeon Cen
eral Cumming, "where khaki cloth
was made up, inspection by Public
Health Service representative dis
| closed a woman who complained to
the plant doctor that a slight cut
from her scissors had given her
eczema; a boy who carried bales of
the cloth on his shoulders who COM
planned that the dust from the bales
had given him the same. disease;
and a very large number of woman
stitchers, whose duties compelled
them to handle and sew the cloth
continuously, who were suffering
with inflammation of the mucous
membranes of the eyes. Analysis
of the dust showed that it contained
| a large percentage of chrome yell
low and sulphur dioxide. Steps are
now being taken to reduce the dust
hazard.
In another plant, where a thou
sand men were working on machines
where they were exposed to large
| amounts of cutting" oils, super
fetal investigation showed that
about a fourth of those examined
were suffering from eruptions and
other skin troubles. Neither the
doctor nor the men had ascribed the
| trouble to the oils. Simple methods
of preparing for work and of clean
| ing up at the end of each shift were
prescribed and resulted in marked
| decrease in the number of men af
| fected
In another plant where cutting
| oils were also used in large amounts
the plant doctor said that there had
been a good deal of skin trouble,
but that it had suddenly disappeared
some weeks before from some I'M
known cause. Investigation show
ed that it had disappeared because
he foreman, worried by the suffer-
ing of the men and their lessened
| production, had insisted on their
amounting their hands with vaselne
before they went to work and wash
ing them with antiseptic soap at
closing time. Skin troubles seem
to be typical where cutting oils are
used in any quantity.
How greatly the manufacturers
rs well as the men appreciate the
work that the Public Health Service
is doing is shown by two charac-
teristic instances. A young physi-
clan who had charge. of the medical
and surgical relief work of a plant
| asked the Public Health Service doc
| tor how he could make his employ
ers raise his $1,000 a year salary.
| The doctor told him that he was
already being paid $500 year too
much, for he was doing no more
| than the 5000 nurse who worked
with him could do by herself.
Study the needs of your plant, "
advised the Service man, "investi-
gate the causes of accidents and of
headaches and COLES; suggest to the
| management ways whereby these
| may be reduced and the lost time
saved; and see what will happen"
Six months later the plant physi-
clan told the Service doctor that he
had acted on the advice; and that
his employers had doubled his sal
airy in consequence.
Still more illustrative of the value
of preventive hygiene is the case of
a high-priced man, who at the in
| sistance of the vice-president of a
| large manufacturing company, re-
| signed from the Public Health Ser
| vice, by which he was employed, in
order to supervise the health of the
| workers in the companys factories.
Later, the vice-president resigned;
and the other officers, who had tax
en- little interest in the health work,
seriously considered dropping it.
They preached the subject to the
medical director, who produced his
records and charts and clearly DEM
onstrated how greatly accidents, i'll
nesses, and absenteeism, and turn
over of employees had been decreased
in direct consequence of his work.
| Not only did the company continue
the work, but they promptly voted
the doctor a thousand dollar in
crease in salary.