LONG HOURS AND HEALTH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1130, 24 January 1884, Page 1

LONG HOURS AND HEALTH.

Inquiries into railway accidents have shown over and over again that the safety of railway travelling is daily imperilled by the employment of signal-men and pointsmen under circumstances _ which render the exercise of vigilance in their very responsible duties difficult or impossible. Many a so-called accident, involving destruction of human life, has plainly arisen because an unfortunate signalman or pointsman, has at last failed to be on the alert at his post, after 12 or more hours of continuous and exhausting nightwork. Major-General Hutchinson, in reporting to the Board of Trade on an. accident wbiVi recently happened at Essendine on the Great Northern railway describes it as due to an extraordinary mistake on the part of a signalman in moving a lever. It mutt, however, be remembered that at the time of the collision he had been on duty for ll£ hours ; and it is by no means improbable that he had become drowsy, and had unconsciously pulled over and then put back this lever without recollecting what he had done. It is, lam certain, unreasonable to expect signalmen to retain the full use of their powers at the end of 12 hours' night work ; and I would strongly recommend that in those signal-cabiDS where the work is not sufficiently important to allow the regular employment of three signalmen, some arrangement should be made for dividing the nightwork into two periods of six hours each Any such arrangement would, I know, be unpopular with the signalmen, but 1 am convinced that ir would conduce to the safety of railway travelling.—Correspondent Exchange.