QUEER ACCIDENTS

Shannon News, 12 April 1929, Page 4

QUEER ACCIDENTS

A Minimum Safety Standard

The International Labour Office of the League of Nations has published to its quarterly publication ‘‘lndustrial Safety Survey" some very interesting details from the German Factory Inspector te’s Annual Report This is all the more interesting because Accident Prevention is coming up for the second time at the International Labour Conference next May. It is expected that a Convention will be made setting up a minimum safety standard to be observed in every country for such operations, amongst others, as marking the weights of packages and sacks or loading and unloading ships. During the year under review, the report-states, there was a considerable increase in the number of accidents. 'Many causes have contributed to this; rationalisation and the getting usc-d to new machinery, and increasing electrification of plants, overtime and extra hard work lost the worker should be sacked owing to trade depression, etc. Ln the building trade especially, the number of accidents was large. This is accounted for by the introduction of ferro-eoncrcte work and the large amount of iron work that is done above ground and the insufficient safety measures that-arc taken, especially amongst persons v*ho are* too poor to pay for a thorough job. High tension cable? appear to exert a peculiar fascination upon German children. They are always tampering with the fittings and, through playing with them, electrocuting themselves. One fatal accident was caused through the escape of a kite held by a thin metal wire. The wire dragging behind the kite caught on some, high tension wires and a workman whom'it.was hindering in his work, tried to remove it and was, of course, killed. Iu another case, children threw stones at the insulators and smashed them. The current flowing through the brackets set fire to the pole, and this fell and caused the fences nearby to catch-alight. Carbide caused many accidents. Oil (vtsks are highly explosive, especially when empty. ~ Even after they have been cleaned several times a naked light- causes a fire, .and several fatal accidents were caused in ibis way. Iho most curious of oil the accidents under the heading of "explosions" was one that concerned top -pistol caps, lhtparticular variety in question was a chlorate percussion cap. .When the lady behind the counter was going to serve a child, the box exploded and hurt and burned her severely. The Factory Inspector concerned recommends the abolition- of chlorate caps for top pistols as they are so dangerous and are fraught with peril for the children who use them. He even suggests that their manufacture should be stopped internationally through the International Labour Organisations of the League of Nations.