156 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1048 



of obscure physical facts, not so readily 

 apparent, and these cases require long and 

 careful scientific investigation with ade- 

 quate laboratory facilities. An excellent 

 illustration of this is found in the hazard 

 of coal-mine explosions. Such a subject is 

 one studied with difficulty by a single indus- 

 trial organization and must be referred to 

 some agency specially equipped for inves- 

 tigative work involving engineering, chem- 

 istry, physics and a very considerable ex- 

 penditure of funds. The mining industry 

 presents many such problems, such as the 

 ignition of gases and various coal dusts by 

 explosives, by electric sparks, and static 

 discharges, and by filaments of broken elec- 

 tric lamps. The permissible limits of vitia- 

 tion of mine air by natural gases, oxidiza- 

 tion of timbers, dusts and fumes and by the 

 use of internal combustion engines for 

 haulage; these require extensive physio- 

 logical as well as field and laboratory in- 

 vestigation. The deterioration of vital parts 

 of equipment by fatigue, shock and corro- 

 sion demands laboratory investigation to 

 devise means for proper protection and 

 inspection. 



Every industry will present similar 

 safety problems that must be studied more 

 carefully than can be expected of the un- 

 aided industrial organization. It is this 

 phase of safety engineering that I wish to 

 specially emphasize. 



There are several agencies that can be 

 expected to meet in various degree this 

 need. One of the most promising is that 

 of cooperation between a group of mem- 

 bers of an industry and established labo- 

 ratories, federal, state or educational, which 

 laboratories may be specially fitted by men 

 and equipment for investigating the special 

 problem in hand. By this method the 

 industry furnishes funds for the work 

 while the laboratories furnish oversight, 

 direction and experience in similar inves- 



tigations. An investigation of the causes 

 of explosion of grain dust by a group of 

 millers and men interested in coal-dust ex- 

 plosions from the Federal Bureau of Mines 

 illustrates this method. Such cooperation 

 between industrial organizations and inves- 

 tigative agencies in safety problems should 

 be greatly extended. 



Investigative work in engineering labo- 

 ratories connected with educational insti- 

 tutions have confined their attention largely 

 to questions of efficiency. The present in- 

 creased accent on problems of safety should 

 find a similar accent in college engineering 

 courses. Courses in engineering design and 

 construction could without change in hours 

 or relative weight in the whole course give 

 increased emphasis to questions of safety 

 by a careful selection of illustrative prob- 

 lems. Many organizations require that 

 every drawing be "checked for safety" so 

 that each construction has been criticized 

 from this point of view and made to con- 

 form to safety standards. The standard 

 screw and nut which has demanded the at- 

 tention of generations of budding engineers 

 in courses in drawing and design should 

 find a worthy running mate in the standard 

 safety hook or guard railing or belt pro- 

 tection. This change of emphasis should 

 follow also into the engineering laboratories. 

 As an illustration, it is essential for safety 

 that gasoline locomotives used in mines or 

 any enclosed space shall produce exhaust 

 gases as free from carbon monoxide as pos- 

 sible. The size of machine that can safely 

 be used under any given mine condition is 

 a function of this carbon monoxide output, 

 and a study of the performance in this re- 

 gard is of quite as much importance as a 

 study of the capacity or economy of the 

 engine. 



State engineering experiment stations in 

 those states which have established such 

 institutions can also be expected to take an 



