The Nespelem tribune. [volume] (Nespelem, Wash.) 1934-1936, 1935-05-08
SAFETY FIRST
is DAM MOTTO:
FACE BIC ODDS
Carelessness And Construction
Hazards Make Safety Fight
Essential
Tell Death Causes
Twelve On Fatality List So Far,
Relief Worker Writes;
Many Accidents

AAAA NpAAAAA A16AAV o6aAALSt IllcCIldI.
ical defects and the vagaries of
human nature is being waged by
contractors at the Grand Coulee
dam in a strenuous effort to give
the dam, a low record of fatalities
and serious accidents, according to
Mrs. Henry Hansen, Grant county
social service supervisor, in an
article appearing in the current
VERA Events.
"a staff of five carpenters, so
organized that at least two are on
duty for every shift, spend all their
time Inspecting and repairing scat
folds, putting handrails on walks,
clamping down cleats, building safe
ladders and engaging in similar
activities designed to safeguard the
Workmen who must pass to and fro"
she writes. A rigger, who is specially
trained, spends his entire time
checking the condition of the
cables. A safety engineer not only
makes daily inspections of all parts
of the job, but holds safety meet
lngs, tacks up signs and does every
thing in his power to prevent fatal
tiles or time-loss accidents.
"Of the various safety appliances
furnished perhaps the most inter-
esting are the safety belts, which
fasten around mans waist and
are capable of supporting 1000
pounds. The chain of the belt
snaps onto overhead supports, thus
making a fall impossible to the
wearer. On the west side alone
there are six dozen of these, many
more than can be worn at one time.
Despite all these precautions
there have been IL deaths and sew
eral hundred accidents, mostly of
minor nature, however. Early in
March a "topman" working on the
west bank cofferdam was sent
hurtling into the turbulent waters
of the Columbia river when the
loosening of a support caused a
stiffleg derrick to crash on the sheet
piling.
Other losses included lineman
who fell from light pole, one man
crushed by the huge conveyor belt,
another hit by a falling weight from
steam hammer, one killed when
a truss crushed him on the bridge
and one man hit by sheet piling
swinging from a crane. In addition
two Indians were drowned while
Stringing wire across the river for
the Indian agency, lineman died
from heart trouble brought on by
heat exhaustion and a workman was
killed by a piece of dynamite cap
while burning dynamite boxes.
There is humor even in painful
injury. One man tried to emulate
the old story Of the man who sawed
off the limb on which he was sitting.
This man, who was a burner en-
gagged in burning of the battered
ends of sheet piling with an acety-
lene torch, failed to recognize the
fact that he was fastening his hook
onto the top of the very piece of
piling he was to burn off. Seated in
his chair, supported by chain
from the hook, he kept burning un-
til the piece of piling dropped. So
did he, landing first on the ground
and then in the hospital for several
days,
Another chap. instead of using
the high walk, thought he could
save time by sliding down q cable.
He did. In fact, he saved so much
time he got a broken leg which kept
him off the job for weeks. He for
got that the cable was still frosty
and that his gloves were too oily.
AS a consequence he established a
speed record for sliding down a
cable which is not likely to be
equalled for a long time to come"