148 



THE WORLD'S ADVANCE 



which consists of four workmen regular- 

 ly employed in the various divisions of 

 the great factory. They change thir- 

 teen times a year, so that in that time 

 468 laborers take an active interest in 

 the prevention of accidents. 



The results of this method are that 

 the entire force is led to consider the 

 "safety first" movement as an effort by 

 the men for their own benefit and not 

 as some philanthropic work done for 

 them by their employers. ; That mental 

 attitude produces the most effective re- 

 sults in every line of endeavor. 



Experts direct the work, however, 

 and the Central Safety Committee is 

 composed of the safety engineer, fire 

 chief, police chief, employment man- 

 ager, three foremen and an experimen- 

 tal engineer, while a member of the La- 

 bor Department acts as secretary, and 

 the assistant to the factory manager is 

 the chairman. The sub-committeemen 

 the groups of laborers begin their ef- 

 forts with, a general get-together meet- 

 ing in which the general idea of the crime 

 of carelessness is dwelt upon, and the 



Gears are Recognized as a Constant Source of Danger to the 



Operatives. A Simple Metal Cover Does Much to Reduce 



if Not Entirely Eliminate the Danger. 



members are impressed with their re- 

 sponsibility and the importance of the 

 work they are undertaking. It is a good 

 move to induce the men to take them- 

 selves rather seriously, and a formal 

 visit to the factory photographer who 

 takes official photographs of the sub- 

 committees, is in line with that idea. 



Plant inspection is the ostensible duty 

 of these committees, for which two 

 hours a week on the company's time is 

 allowed. The members make their visits 

 in pairs, alert for conditions or shop 

 practices that may lead to accidents, and 

 their conclusions are submitted in writ- 

 ing to the chairman who takes steps 

 toward remedying genuine abuses or neg- 

 lect, and returns an answer to each sug- 

 gestion. In other words, no suggestion 

 is ignored, even though it may be re- 

 jected for some valid reason which is 

 duly explained to the committee. 



While many valuable suggestions have 

 been thus received, resulting in the elim- 

 ination of dangerous conditions, the 

 main object of the system is to educate 

 and interest the working force of the 

 company. Each chairman is in- 

 structed to stimulate the interest 

 of his group by getting them to- 

 gether for discussion, providing 

 them with reports on current ac- 

 cidents, giving them literature 

 on the subject of ' 'safety first" 

 and otherwise extending the 

 proper spirit. When the com- 

 mittee is through with its labors, 

 a follow-up system is used to 

 retain the interest of the ex- 

 members in the movement. 

 Every month they receive an in- 

 timate letter giving them inside 

 information on the progress of 

 the movement and soliciting 

 their suggestions on new prob- 

 lems that may have developed. 

 This method keeps alive their 

 pride in safety service by ap- 

 pealing to their experience, while 

 the fact that the letters are sent 

 to ex-committeemen exclusively 

 tends to add to their dignity. 



Through these 468 men, 

 brought in close touch with the 

 safety movement every year, the 

 spirit of care and thought fulness 



