New Britain herald., 1930-09-20
SAFETY DISPLAYS
 PROVING WORTH
Signs Help Keep Accident Toll
 at Minimum

Chicago, Sept. 20. CUP P,)-Safety is an effective and tireless adver- tiser. It believes in signs. The modern. industrial plant contains many Signs of Safety" First, there's the safety poster, nearly 5000, 900 of which are used yearly by some 12,000 plants where acci- dent prevention work is organized along modern lines. The bulletin boards usually are neatly kept and well lighted and placed at many vantage points throughout the plant The bulletin board today is recognized as a most effective means of reducing accidents
 As sort of by-product of the bulletin board, however, have come various display features designed to cause men to ponder on the costs of accidents. Displays of broken chains, broken tools, torn clothing and other reminders of accidents that actually did occur are considered particularly effec- tive.
 A construction concern recently warned it's workers with a cross- board sign with one word THINK painted on the four exposed sides. The contest idea is often the in spiration for these safety signs One concern used the electrically lighted candle idea, one candle for each of 12 departments. All can- dies were lighted at the start of the month. An accident in any de- partment caused the dimming of that departments candle. The lad der idea is also very popular, dummy climbers moving up one run for every "no-accident" day in the various departments. Still another big concern utilized the racing season with a miniature race-track on which the monthly no-accident score was kept.
 Very often the spirit of sports pithy slogans appearing on the signs and posters. Again it is the heart appeal. Once in a while these messages are of the gruesome type, with photos of actual accidents 8 method drowned upon by some safety engineers and highly recom- mended by others as being particu- larly effective.
 Industry never permits these dis plays to grow stale. Bulletin boards are often changed daily and signs are replaced regularly on the we'll recognized theory that yester- days newspaper is just about "A hours too late to attract much at- tention on the part of the average observer. Material, whether print ed, or in the form of photos or special feature displays, must be new and punchy. It must have pulling power. It must force men to thnk about safety-and the ne- cessity for guarding against acci- dents.
 It would be interesting to know just what part such signs have played in the amazing accident re- ductions enjoyed by manufacturing concerns and by the railroads dur ing recent years. The steam roads for instance have cut accidents among their employees 60 per cent during the past 13 years. A group ot the largest steel industries have cut fheir accidents 90 per cent since 1915. Just last year 27 plants or one of the big cement companies of the nation went through the en- tire year without a single lost-time qCPjH1nt thnIIcon5c nf u-nrly CTS. A large western mining com- pany cut it's accidents 96 per cent in seven years. Two year. three, fcur and even five year "no-acci- dent" records among the smaller plants and in certain departments of the larger plants are not un- common now.
 Were it not for the devastating part the auto is playing in the na- tional accident record, accidental death rate in all other fields of &C., cidents would be 30 per cent lower today than it was in 1913, the year organized safety started to func- ton in the United States.
 This picture side" of safety will CUllle III lOT COlSlUeTdDlC QlSCuSSlOn at the 18th Annual Safety Congress and Exposition which convenes in Pittsburgh. Sept. 20 for a five day session. Approximately 1000 in Gustrial safety engineers, plant executives, officials, foremen and workers, traffic authorities, munich pal officials leading educators and statistcians will be in attendance, with several hundred safety leaders from foreign shores.
 Every field of safety will be dis cussed and analysed with especial attention to industrial. public safe- ty and home safety activities There will be 43 different sec tonal gatherings, approximately 150 meetings and nearly 400 speakers. The high-spot safety address of the congress is to be given by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, who in connection with his recital of An tarctic adventures, will deal specifi- | Cally with many problems of
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