Evening star., 1943-01-07
u. ). Accident Losses
Drain on War Output,
Forum Speakers Say
Six Killed at Home to
Each One in Bottle,
Safety Head Stotes

Loss of manpower through acci-
dental deaths and injuries was de-
scribed as serious drain on war
production by three speakers heard
last night over the National Radio
Forum, arranged by The Star and
broadcast over WMAL and the Blue
Network The speakers were VIII
liam Irwin, chairman of the Ma
tional Safety Councils War Pro-
duction Fund to Conserve Man.
power; DR.. Thomas Parran, Surgeon
General of the United States Public
Health Service, and James v. For
restal, Undersecretary of the Navy.
Mr. Irwin told Of the 20 accident
prevention fund regional commit
tees which the Safety Council had
set up throughout the country.
The National Safety Council" he
explained, has set up working re-
lationships with various branches
of the armed forces, with many
Federal agencies, with over 100 pri-
vate organizations whose influence
can be channeled in support of
safety for the war worker. In short,
a start has been made. But it is only
too clear to us who are devoting all
our time to the safety movement
that a vast amount of work remains
to be done. We have no more than
cleared the decks in preparation for
permanent gains"
Sees Proposal as Boon.
DR.. Parran said Mr.. Twins pro-
posal for a united safety campaign
would be great boon to wartime
America. He expressed hope that it
would spread to every production
center in the country and into agri-
culture.
The Safety Councils program for
accident prevention, he added,
"merges directly with the large task
of the Public Health Service to keep
wartime America in good health.
We can reduce materially the
amount anG severity of disabling
illness and accidents"
There are many things" DR..
Parran said, which employers and
employees can do together to prevent
sickness and accidents and to pro-
mote health. Through the labor
MANAGEMENT committees, a health
and safety program can be launched
in every plant. Such a program gets
practical results. 1t reduces illness,
accidents, labor turnover and spoil
age of materials. 1t promotes health,
efficiency and morale"
Undersecretary Forrestal pointed
out, Our first job is to make the
weapons. Obviously, it is of high
Importance that every man and
woman at work in our great arsenals
be as free as possible, not only from
the fact of accidents but from the
hampering fear Of their occurrence.
That is why the National Safety
Council is spreading great web
of safety control over the Nation.
The Navy is glad to report that it is
working hand in hand with safety
engineers in connection with various
phases of the accident-prevention
problem.
The Navy is vitally interested in
the Maritime Commissions gigantic
and successful program of shipbuild-
ing. 1t is, therefore. glad that the
National Safety Council is stream
lining safety programs in the At
lantic, the Gulf and West Coast
shipyards. The Navy is co-operat-
ing in this work, and its senior serv-
ice, the Army is likewise joining in
the effort by setting up safety per-
sonnel in each service command to
see that careless and thoughtless
operational setups are routed from
every plant producing for the Army"
Describing how the council oper-
ates, Mr.. Irwin said, 'it has taken
the greatest war in history, literally
a war of survival. to awaken Amer
lea to the gravity Of our accident
problem. Even at this late date
many of us are not completely
aware of the extent and conse-
quences of accidents in the United
States as retarding factor in the
war effort"
He emphasized that "the Axis
must be out-produced on the pro-
duction front before it can be
brought to its knees In battle" and
he added: THE cooperative disci-
pline of free Americans must more