Accidents Are Costly To Industry

Chronicle (Levin), 16 September 1949, Page 7

Accidents Are Costly To Industry

WELLINGTON, Sept. 15. Reference to the relative apathy of employers towards the aecident problem in. industry, is made in the Department of Labour and Employment annual report by the Seeretary of Labour and Director of Employment, Mr. H. L. Bockett, presented in the House of Representatives today. vThe report attributes the apathy to the failure of employers to appreeiate the part they ean play, the neW teehniques developed in other countries and j the seriousness of the aecident problem in industry. - r , Mueh was said about industrial disputes and .their effect on production, but the much greater seriousness of the aecident was seldom emphasised, stated the report. There were 11,311 industrial accidents in 1916, through which 950,908 working ' davs were lost, compared with 30,393 through industrial disputes. The aecident hgures did not include mines where the average number was 4000 to 5000 a year, or waterside work,' also a prolilie souree of accidents. The comparative eeonomic importance of industrial accidents was almost staggering. Wages lost through all industrial disputes in 1946 was £40, 11k whereas eompensation for accidents paid in 1946 totalled £258,621, exeluding mines and waterfront. Iteseareh in England and the United States showed that indirect costs (loss of production, damage to plant, training new employees, lixed charges, etc.), amounted to four times the direct eompensation cost. If that basis was cor rect, the total cost to New Zealand industry other than accidents in mines, was £1,293,000 in 1946, a fairly representative year. It was clear that the prevention of accidents was good business for the employer apart from its liumanitarian aspect. Factofy inspectors and other safety experts agreed that most accidents were preventable. Last year there ivere 13 fatal accidents as against eight in 1947. ■