THE MAN ON THE LADDER

Hokitika Guardian, 13 November 1929, Page 1

THE MAN ON THE LADDER

“In a large cement factory in the South of England a model of a man climbing a ladder is a matter of keen personal interest to everyone of the workers,’’ says a writer in the “Daily Chronicle.” “The rungs of the ladder represent days; the man represents the spirit of safety. Every day that passes without an accident in the works the little man goes up a rung. Day by day ho .soars upwards, and the workers watch his progress as though it was their favourite football team climbing from the relegation zone. One day the man is down at the bottom rung and has to start all over again,’’ adds the “Daily Chronicle ” correspondent. “Then everybody in the factory knows there lias been an accident involving loss of time under the Workmen’s Compensation Act. Some people think it all a piece of nonsense. lar from it. The little man is doing an important job, and doing it well. Workers may forget all their safety-first propaganda, and become careless about protective devices, hut the ladder man is always there before their eves in a new position every day. Thev take a real interest in him, and that interest inevitably turns to pride the higher he climbs.”