The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-15
W0RkE ERS SHOULD BE C0MF PORTABLE T0 GET RESULTS
pr. Armstrong Argues For Health And Better
 Conditions

7'he:e is TO economic advantage in ! cheap labor, Ions hours and poor working conditions that irritate and aneer employees. said Dr. Donald E. Armstrong of the national health council in an address to business men of Boston.
 The speaker is considered an au- thority on the subject of health in indu strial establishments.
 "Ot particular importance to New England" said Dr. Armstrong, "is the fact that the time is coming when we shall select a community for in- dustrial development, not only be- cause of it's railroad facilities and labor market and availability of raw l materials; we shall take into consid- eration health conditions, death rates and illness prevalence.
 Up to the present time most of us think of health work in industry in terms of duty, of brotherliness, of | justice. of advertising, or of being
 up-to date. We have deceived our- selves about our underlying motives, | but we have failed to deceive our
 workmen. This is a bis cause of trouble. We have kept no detailed records of cost; we expended our health appropriations with no spe- cific anticipation of profit. We have frequently tried something in health or welfare work that had got some one else lot of publicity. Or. we
 were conscious of a certain unrest among our men and used certain
 health work as patent medicine. | Dr. Armstrong explained that this | attitude not only failed to demon- strate the value of health work from an economic point of view, but cre-
 ated wrong attitude among the
 workers. That is why welfare
 work" he said, "has come to be
 known in some circles as hell fare
 work.
 There are many groups of condi- tions hampering health which do nct
 result in a mans stopping work en- | tirely. but which do constantly ana
 progressively curtail his production. Would you play your best game or golf in New Orleans in the summer | How about golf if you were covered
 with hives? Consider the time
 man loses in scratching when in- fected hy some of the industrial skin
 diseases. Will it pay to save him
 that time? Does man in an ugly
 temper produce as much as com l fortable man? Is it worth while to help him stop scratching? Yes, to
 save yourself money.
 There is the obvious money loss
 due to sickness, absenteeism ana | turnover. but there is the less easily computab ble loss due to the inhibition | of production following lowered at
 tention.
 Fatigue, inattention. lack of con-
 centration cost money. Mental irrl-
 tation may cost more than any or l these Men are irritated, even though unconsciously, by unpleasant
 working conditions. In many cases unpleasant conditions are unhcalthful
 conditions.
 "A healthy man likes to work. and ! the man who likes his job does l good job. The discontented man IS | the cause of high turnover costs. It
 is cheaper to keep good man. to keep a trained man. on his job than ! to save money on light and atr:
 Think of the things we Kick about in our own offices-the ventilatlon, an
 electric fan. reading light, a com | fortable, adjustable desk chair, drink l ing water, even the view-all these | things contribute to our efficiency.