JANUAEY 29, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



155 



comes equally evident that this is a most 

 superficial and inadequate treatment of a 

 subject of large proportions. Statistical 

 information is needed as to the kind of in- 

 jury and the success of preventive meth- 

 ods. Questions arise as to the bearing on 

 the accident problem of nationality, gen- 

 eral intelligence, age, temperance, fatigue, 

 housing, lighting and a multiplicity of fac- 

 tors usually considered as outside of the 

 field surveyed by the engineer. The purely 

 engineering phase of this problem has been 

 variously estimated as forming only 10 to 

 25 per cent, of the whole, the problem be- 

 ing more largely one of mental attitude 

 toward the thought of safety on the part of 

 the employee and the whole organization, 

 but the engineer's point of view seems par- 

 ticularly favorable a's a point of departure 

 for exploring the whole field and reducing 

 observations to concrete changes in equip- 

 ment and management. This situation has 

 produced the safety engineer. His work 

 is a new grouping of studies and interests. 

 Beside his purely engineering training he 

 is brought close to the doctor, the chemist, 

 the social worker, the statistician, the works 

 diplomat, the psychologist, the labor or- 

 ganization, legislative limitations and the 

 lawyer. He can no longer measure all his 

 work directly in dollars and he looks first 

 to a column of statistics for evidence of his 

 profits. 



In the large industrial organizations the 

 best engineers are thus engaged, under the 

 immediate observation of the administra- 

 tive head. The excellent results which 

 have been obtained in the reduction of acci- 

 dents accounts for the enthusiasm shown 

 by industrial safety workers and organiza- 

 tions. 



Much of this work requires only special 

 attention to the idea of safety as an impor- 

 tant matter, time, patience, careful obser- 

 vation, and the application of obvious rem- 



edies which are already in use. The great 

 need at this point is for standardization of 

 method. Considerable sums are expended 

 for protective devices and constructions 

 which are more or less inadequate and 

 which have to be replaced as the art de- 

 velops. In fire protection and electric 

 installation, it has been found necessary to 

 standardize equipment and a similar need 

 is to be met in safety methods and devices. 

 This can be brought about by preparing 

 standard detailed specifications covering 

 each case or by requiring the use of ap- 

 proved devices, the approval to be issued 

 by some investigative body provided for 

 the purpose. Detailed specifications are 

 apt to be confusing and cumbersome and 

 lack the simplicity of an approval system. 

 The approval of safe devices must, how- 

 ever, be done by some body whose decisions 

 will command general support as being the 

 result of careful investigation. 



In the mineral industries where the gov- 

 ernment has provided an investigative 

 bureau for the specific purpose of "increas- 

 ing safety," the method of granting ap- 

 proval to safe devices after careful investi- 

 gation is already in operation and has so 

 far provided a list of permissible explosives, 

 approved miners' electric lamps, explosion- 

 proof electric motors, switches, etc. Such 

 work must of necessity move slowly, for 

 careful investigation requires both time 

 and money. For the general industrial 

 field other interests are preparing to pro- 

 vide a means of standardizing similar to 

 that brought about by the underwriters' 

 fire insurance regulations. 



Much of the more obvious preventative 

 measures can be recognized by members of 

 any and every organization, but there is a 

 class of investigation the need of which has 

 become quite evident which can not be ex- 

 pected of the usual industrial organization. 

 Unsafe conditions are sometimes the result 



