PRODUCTION
SAFETY FORUM " . . . That men m a y w o r k in safety . . . " This purpose stands out as the big reason for existence of M i n e Safety Appliance Co.'s new research laboratory A LABORATORY devoted solely to the -**- development of safety equipment was dedicated in Pittsburgh June 14 by Mine Safety Appliance Co. Called the John T . Ryan Memorial Laboratory, the building is named in honor of the late company cofounder and president.
At the dedication ceremonies Xed H. Dearborn, president of the National Safety Council, was principal speaker. H e stated that for the past decade there has been an undercurrent of criticism of scientists which implied that they have more skill than responsibility and more power than control. Mr. Dearborn re ferred to t h e new laboratory as the em bodiment of a scientific purpose without reproach. Its ultimate worth will b e measured, h e said, by the number of men and women who will live longer because of it. Facilities of the laboratory will be used in developing equipment and devices to combat hazards of all types. Safety equip ment and instruments for use in such rela tival \ new fields as air pollution and atomic energy are among the projects planned in the lab. There will also b e continuing research to improve existing safety devices and rescue apparatus. T h e building is staffed by chemists, physicists, electrical engineers, and workers in virtually every other branch ot science. Instruments and equipment in clude high altitude chambers, dust, funic, and gas chambers, a wind tunnel, and an electron microscope that permits study of dusts and other substances at magnifica tions up to 100,000 times. President of MSA Co. now is G. II. Deike, original partner of Mr. Ryan in the company's founding 36 years ago. Direc tor of research and development is Wil liam P. Yant, 1946 recipient of the ACS Pittsburgh Award for distinguished service to chemistry. Following the dedication exercises, a 2374
tour of the building allowed display of llu· company's line of safety equipment, including small first-aid kits and a com plete mobile laboratory for air pollution surveys. An electrical laboratory exhibit showed mine lighting and cap lamp prog ress, while a display in the rubber and plastics laboratory covered the development of protec tive hats and caps m a d e of laminated plastic. In the dust laboratory the effective ness of respirators was dem onstrated and equipment was shown for sampling and identifying dusts. T h e chemicals laboratory demonstrated preparation of chemicals used in gas masks and respirators for poisonous or noxious fumes. A breath ing apparatus that generates its own oxygen supply, lor use in any type of unbrcathahle atmosphere, was also shown. Various instruments for detecting poi sonous or flammable gases were exhibited, including a monoxide recorder (Safety Forum, May 15, page 1682) which can de tect deadly gas in concentrations of 4 parts per million. This instrument is used for ventilation control systems for vehicular tunnels. Bromofluorocarbon
Extinguishers
The Engineer Research and Develop ment Laboratories at Fort Belvoir, Va., have announced a new extinguishing agent said to be at least twice as effective against fires as conventional agents. Tests
indicate that several compounds of the bromofluorocarbon group easily p u t out gasoline and electrical fires against which CHEMICAL
identical quantities of C 0 2 or C C L w e r e not effective. Initial exploratory laboratory work a t Purdue University was followed b y p r a c tical Class Β and Class C fire tests. Final adoption of one of the fluorine compounds is contingent upon results of toxicity studies now under way at the Medical Division of the Army Chemical Center. ASA Gas-Mask Identification Code Two new gases have been included in the revision of American Standard Safety Code for Identification of Gas-Mask C a n isters (K13.1-1950) just issued by t h e American Standards Association. This code gives the individual color or mark ing to he used on each gas-mask canister indicating the t y p e of gas or vapor for which it provides protection. Colors to identify hydrocyanic acid gas and chlorine gas-mask canisters h a v e been added in this first revision in 2 0 years. In addition to the two new gases, the standard lists the colors assigned to canisters for protection against acid gases, organic vapors, ammonia gas, carbon monoxide, dusts, fumes, · mists, fogs, a n d smokes in combination with any of t h e aforementioned gases or vapors, acid gases and organic vapors, acid gases, organic vapors, and ammonia gas, and all of t h e aforementioned atmospheric contami nants. This standard was developed by a com mittee representing the manufacturers, users, insurance companies, and the Gov ernment sponsored by the National Safety Council under the procedures of t h e American Standards Association. N S C Record Shows I m p r o v e m e n t in Chemical Field Industrial injury rates for 1949, r e leased by the National Safety Council in advance of the 1950 edition of its annual statistical yearbook, "Accident Facts," show a substantial reduction in both t h e frequency and severity of 1949 accidents as compared with 1948, and notably so in the chemical industry. Thirty-eight of the 40 basic industry classifications r e d u c e d their frequency rates, a n d 28 reduced their severity rates. The accident frequency rate for em ployees in all industries submitting com pany reports to the council, based on t h e number of disabling injuries per 1 million man-hours, was 10.14 in 1949—a reduction of 12% from the year before. The accident severity rate for these industries, based on the number of days lost per 1,000 man-hours, was 1.02 last year—a reduction of 9 % from 1948. In the chemical industry the frequency rate was 5.72, d o w n 2 4 % from the p r e vious year, a record comparing favorably with t h e rate for all industries. Severity rate in the chemical industry was 3 3 % lower than in 1948, to reach a figure of 0.60 compared with the 1.02 figure for all industries. AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
