PRODUCTION
SAFETY
FORUM
Hazardous Chemicals Are Classified C H I C A G O . - A t t h e twenty-seventh annual Midwest Safety Show in Chicago May 1 to 4, plaques were a w a r d e d to 83 Chicago firms as winners in Commercial Vehicle Accident Prevention and Industrial Injury Prevention Contests. The awards, sponsored b y t h e Greater Chicago Safety Council, w e r e based on notable reductions in frequency and severity of accidents in t h e operations of the winning companies. In the daily conferences w h i c h were an important part of t h e Safety Show, both the personal a n d nonpersonal aspects of industrial safety were a p p r o a c h e d as likely targets for accident-prevention campaigns. T h e development of m u t u a l respect in management-employee relationships, t h e improvement and extended use of personality tests for the most effective placement of workers, t h e £>roper training of new employees, a n d the regular reviewing of safety instructions with experienced workers were stressed in the consideration of personal factors affecting industrial safety. Points of attack on the nonpersonal front were defined in suggestions for improvements in plant design, the use of guards on exposed machinery, t h e provision of warnings a n d signals to direct attention to hazards, and t h e use of mechanical equipment designed to reduce risks to workers. Panel on C h e m i c a l H a z a r d s In the W e d n e s d a y afternoon session devoted to discussion of chemical hazards, Howard N. Schulz of Abbott Laboratories cataloged dangerous chemicals in four
classifications, consisting of: ( 1 ) i r r i t a n t s materials which a r e "corrosive" in effect and inflame t h e respiratory t r a c t a n d lungs, ( 2 ) asphyxiants—simple asphyxiants which exclude oxygen from t h e air, and chemical asphyxiants w h i c h prevent the blood from carrying oxygen or p r e vent tissues from using t h e oxygen inhaled, ( 3 ) true poisons—substances s u c h as organic and inorganic acids w h i c h enter t h e blood a n d interfere w i t h metabolism, a n d ( 4 ) anesthetics—volatile drugs or d r u g like products w h i c h paralyze t h e sensory apparatus. Mr. Schulz emphasized t h e u n fortunate fact that lack of knowledge is not confined t o laborers alone b u t extends throughout t h e ranks of foremen, technical men, and executives. Lee B. Post of Victor Chemical C o . reviewed industrial h a z a r d s of several well known t y p e s , illustrating h o w each group of hazards ( for example, t h o s e associated with construction a n d r e p a i r work, materials handling, a n d t h e use of electrical equipment) presents its special problems in t h e operation of a chemical plant. Drawing o n Victor's experience, Mr. Post detailed s o m e of the difficulties involved in t h e safe handling of elemental phosphorus a n d s h o w e d h o w a thorough understanding of t h e dangers, leading t o a planned program of precautionary m e a s ures, has held accident frequency in this operation to a h a r e minimum. Both R. R. Higgins of Sherwin-Williams Co. a n d J o h n B. Verlenden of Abbott Laboratories highlighted some of the safety advantages inherent in t h e u s e of tank-car purchases wherever possible, underlining t h e reduction in opportunities
Chemical Hazards panel. Seated: H o w a r d N. Shulz, Abbott L a b o r a t o r i e s ; F . B. Crist, Armour a n d C o . ( p a n e l c h a i r m a n ) ; J. B . Verlenden, Abbott L a b o r a t o r i e s . Standing: R. R. Higgins, Sherwin-Williams Co.; L. B. Post, Victor Chemical C o .
for accident through r e d u c e d h a n d l i n g of containers a n d materials. Both speakers, however, w a r n e d of d a n g e r points in tankcar h a n d l i n g a n d r e c o m m e n d e d p r e c a u tions s u c h as u n l o a d i n g from t h e t o p , installing siphon-breakers in series w i t h tanke m p t y i n g p u m p s , and providing signaling devices t o prevent overflow in receiving tanks. Mr. Higgins r e l a t e d how a carefully p l a n n e d safety p r o g r a m for t h e h a n dling of tank-car shipments of liquid chlorine w a s instrumental in r e m o v i n g a b a n b y t h e city of Chicago on t h e use of tank-car shipments of this chemical. Chicago h a d at one time o u t l a w e d chlorine in large containers following a serious accident, b u t it was eventually p r o v e d that t h e real danger was n o t in t h e size of t h e container b u t in t h e m e t h o d s a n d care employed in handling. H y g i e n e a n d H e a l t h Symposium William Lester, University of Chicago, led t h e symposium o n Industrial H y g i e n e and H e a l t h with a discussion of decontamination methods for destroying airb o r n e infectious matter. Since t h e presence of infectious material in t h e air is only an indication of c o n t a m i n a t i o n of the general environment, said Dr. Lester, decontamination must b e effective on solid surfaces as well as in the air. Oiling of surfaces with a light mineral oil, purifying incoming air by passing it t h r o u g h a "screen" of ultraviolet radiation, a n d diffusing triethylene glycol vapors t h r o u g h o u t an entire environment h a v e p r o v e d effective in lowering s p r e a d of respiratory diseases t h r o u g h air-borne infection. O. A. Sander, a consulting industrial physician from Milwaukee, summarized recent findings in studies of d a m a g e to t h e respiratory system from industrial dusts. T h e presence of harmless iron oxide coatings in t h e lungs, according to Dr. Sander, has often b e e n mistaken for symptoms of silicosis in industrial workers. Since t h e silica nodules associated w i t h silicosis give approximately t h e s a m e resistance to x-rays as t h e s e iron oxide p a r ticles, a m o r e specific diagnostic test for silicosis is n o w considerel essential. Exhibits I n t e g r a t e d with t h e conference section of t h e show w a s a series of over 4 0 exhibits, sponsored b y manufacturers a n d distributors of safety a n d first-aid e q u i p ment a n d services for u s e throughout industrial plants.
Awards
. . .
Dow Chemical Co., Calcium-Magnesium Division. This division w a s a w a r d e d a safety certificate b y t h e c o m p a n y for working a total of 500,000 m a n - h o u r s without a lost-time injury. Richards Chemical Works. This Jersey City division of Onyx O i l a n d Chemical Co. has received a b r o n z e engraved safety trophy from Employers M u t u a l of W a u s a u , Wis., for attainment of 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 safe m a n hours of operation.
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