ACCIDENTS IN FACTORIES

Hokitika Guardian, 14 November 1925, Page 3

ACCIDENTS IN FACTORIES

STATISTICS FOR 1921. As a result of an international conference of official statisticians at Geneva in 192)5, under the auspices of the International La Iso nr Office set up by the League of Nations, the collection and compilation of statistics of industrial accidents is now beng undertaken in virtually all countries, and figures are available in New Zealand in connection with the accidents occurring during 192-1 in factories. During 192-1 there were in New Zealand 1979 cases of "factory accidents,” injuries not likely to incapacitate the injured person for at least forty-eight hours being excluded. These eases comprised nine deaths, eighty cases of permanent partial disability for life, and 1890 cases of temporary disability. There was no ease of permanent total disability. The total period of incapacity in all these eases of temporary disability was 514,275 days, an average of over nineteen days per accident. The frequency of accidents ner--100,(XU) man-hours worked, that is. per total hours worked, counting one hour worked by one man as one unit, was 1.03 for all industries combined. It was highest in the meat freezing industry, tilt' figure being 11.7. The next highest were, paper manufacturing 2.5. joinery 2.4, general engineering 1 .(5, foundry working 1.4, soap and starch manufacture, chemical and manure works, and biscuit and confectionery works 1 .55 each, woollen-mills 1.2. sawmills 1.1.

Tlio jewellery and clothing trades were free from accidents, while other low frequency rates were recorded in electric lighting 0.07. butter aml cheese manufacture 0.15 and baking 0.18. Mere frequency rates are, however, an unsatisfactory measure ot industrial hazards. In the electric lighting industry accidents are few. but such as there are usually prove fatal; iu freezing works, on the other band, there are many accidents, but few are serious. Therefore severity rates were worked out. time lost as the result of the accident being taken as a criterion of severity. In the ease ol death the time lost, is deemed to be the victim’s

iitiire expectation of working lit,-. Ihe otal toll of accidents so computed was 149.018 days, an average of 120 (lays >er accident. The electric-lighting inlustry came first with 95-15 days per (•ridcnl, followed by retail butchering 1(503), and brewing and aerated water namifactiire (1010). Ihe lowest gure was in snap and starch mami-

factum (11.1 Of 1979 factory accidents during 192-L only 199 (just over a quarter) were due to machinery, as many as tit- per (-(-lit of which seem to Is- due to starting. operating or stopping machinery. As many as ninety-live accidents wendue to tailing objects, which were not being handled by the persons injured. Seventy were due to poisonous, hot and i .erosive substances, forty-nine to the vagaries of animals. forty-three to striking against fixed objects. Ol the remaining number, the remarkable total of 121. including one fatality wendue to sprains, strains and septic wounds gained in the course of slaughtering operations. Cuts and lacerations comprised the bull; ot the injuries suffered, 754 out ol 197'.). or 158 per cent of the total. Of the total, eiglitv-six occurred to females. One of the most interesting results of the investigation was the incidence of machinery accidents in respect, of tiniU of occurrence. Accidents due to adjusting machines, tool, or work rose from three during the hours of 9 and 51 a. 111., to eleven during the hour imme-

diately preceding noon. Alter the midday luncheon spell Ihe number again rose from three between 1 o’clock and 2 o'clock to nine from I to 5 p in. As regards accidents dm- to the starting and operating oi machines, the maximum number, both morning and afternoon. occurs'during the last hour but one of the normal working ball-dav. There would appear In be a definite casual relation between the froqnney of such nrcidnts and the degree ol the workers’ fatigue, which is further home out by an analysis of the days of the week 011 which machinery accidents occurred during 192-1. .Mondav, 1!) per cent ; Tuesday, l-'t per cent ; Wednesday. 17 per cent: Thursday, 21 per cent ; Friday. 20 per cent.; Saturday. 10 per cent. Few hours are worked bv most lactones on Saturdays, and during 15)21 an exceptionally large number of public holidays fell on a Friday. The high figure on Mondays may be ascribed to -laikie-'- alier the week-end spell.