Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-12
Two Groups Hit
Safety Code
For Buildings
Proposal Protested
On Grounds of Cost
And Space

Vigorous protest against adoption
Of proposed safety code. as rec
commended by the Advisory Safety
Committee of the District Mini
mum Wage and Industrial Safety
Board, has been filed by the Build
ing Owners and Managers Associa-
ton and by the Washington Taxpay-
ers' Association.
Contending Congress had in mind
industrial plants and not service es-
adjustments, the Building Owners
and Managers Association said the
proposed code would require WASH
ington Office buildings to install
nearly $500 additional lavatories
and provide upward of $4,000 square
feet Of space for recreation rooms
for women, at a cost of $25O,OOO and
an additional cost, in lost rents, of
another s125,000 a year
Materials Unavailable.
Plumbing materials could not be
obtained for this civilian use, even
if the code were adopted, a leading
District plumbing firm proprietor
said.
I'VE could not get $500 lavatories
without WPB priorities. and WPB
is not granting priorities for civil
ian preference it was said. Even
if the materials were made avail
able, which is almost an impossi-
have the men to do such a large
job
In addition, the building owners
statement stated scores of tenants
would have to be evicted to find
space for required recreation rooms
for women"
officials of the Wage and Indus
trial Safety Board said hearings
would be given all interested groups
and expressed confidence that mis-
understandings" in regard to the
proposed new provisions could be
cleared up. No date has been set
for putting the revised code into
effect.
Approve Most of Provisions.
We have no quarrel with and
highly approve of most of the pro-
visions of this proposed code, par
tlcularly those that apply to the
safety Of industrial workers and all
who work around machinery" said
the BONA statement of protest,
but we cannot understand the rea-
son for some of the sanitation pro-
visions, as applied to Office and
apartment buildings
II a proposed provision regarding
rest rooms were put into effect,
BONA officials said, one building
alone would have to install about
80 more wash basins.
Concerning toilets. the BONA
statement continued: "Curiously
enough, the standards set out In
this code-namely, where more than
loo. persons are employed there shall
be one toilet for each 30 workers
over l00-are far less rigid than
many office buildings have. This
shows that this code does not fit in
with the requirements and uses of
this type Of structure. where upward
of $4,000 people work daily"
Notes employers" Definition.
The association in notice to
members said In its definition of
the word employer the Act of o.
tober l94l makes the owner, man.
ager or even agent of a building
where people are employed, even
though not working for him, re-
sponsible for carrying out of all fea-
lures of this tentative code. The
definition of industrial in the code
includes practically all workers, such
as stenographers in a law office.
1T is difficult to believe that if
was ever intended to make the reg
ulations as broad and all inclusive as
they obviously are"
1t points out that the proposed
code requires one wash basin for
each Is workers of each sex. for each
10 where less than 100 work, within
a given work place. Many struc-
lures have rest rooms for women.
but not on any such basis of two
square feet of space for each female
employe as specified in this code, !"
the BONA statement said.