PRODUCTION
fedfceww 1 PtotetVion WILJLSON FeatherSpec
Comfortable? You can wear them all d a y a n d hardly know you h a v e them on. In fact, they weigh less t h a n an ounce. Yet they provide adequate low cost eye protection on m a n y jobs where h e a v y duty goggles a r e not required. Large o n e - p i e c e nonflammable acetate lens provides extra safety for many chemical applications. Can b e worn over prescription glasses. Lenses m a y b e clear, or Tru-Hue® green for work under glare conditions, indoors or outdoors. Order from your nearest WILLSON distributor or write direct for bulletin.
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¥ïf&®r W?ëLLB®iïÊ &G&mleè~&&imlvm%év9~&&s. Masks Dependable ProHuetsrSfnce 1870 WSLLSON PRODUCTS, INC. 119 T h o r n S t r e e t · R e a d i n a , Pa.
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SAFETY Kentucky Synthetic Rubber Sets Safety Pace T h e safety program of the Kentucky Synthetic Rubber Corp., operator for the Reconstruction Finance Corp. of the government-owned copolymer plant at Louisville, Ky., received high praise in a recent letter to Henry F. Palmer, general manager, from H . J. Joy, Jr., manager of the safety section of the Reconstruction Finance Corp.'s Office of R u b b e r Reserve. T h e record at Kentucky Synthetic R u b ber Corp. shows one lost-time accident since the plant reopened on Dec. 11, 1950, with completely inexperienced and untrained personnel, a n d reactivation and construction work is still being carried on. At present the safety record shows over one-half million man-hours worked without a lost-time accident. At present, Kentucky Synthetic Rubber is the only plant of the 27 in the synthetic rubber industry where 1 0 0 % of the plant employees wear safety glasses, safety shoes, a n d safety hats. Glasses are individually fitted, a n d safety hats are provided without cost to each employee. Safety shoes are available at cost o n a payroll deduction plan. Fifteen key men a r e now taking an instructor's course in first aid given by the Bureau of Mines. Upon completion of this course the instructors in turn will give first aid training to all employees in the plant. A new fire training ground is geared to provide widespread know-how in fire fighting, and will b e utilized for daily fire drills. To maintain a continuous check on safe practices, the department managers, with the general manager as chairman, make periodic safety and housekeeping inspections, a n d this work is supplemented by an employee Safety and Housekeeping Committee which makes regular weekly inspections.
H e a t Insulation Aids Plant Safety While the h e a t escaping from an uninsulated steam line or exhaust flue may or may not have any economic value, it can start a fire costing thousands of dollars. Also, employees working in the vicinity of exposed hot surfaces a r e in constant danger of being b u r n e d by brushing against a hot line or a hot flue. To avoid this fire a n d safety hazard, warns t h e Magnesia Insulation Manufacturers Association, h o t lines a n d e q u i p ment should b e insulated regardless of economic considerations. According to A. S. Hall, engineering division, Factory M u t u a l Laboratories, any surface at a temperature above 700° F. will quickly ignite most combustible materials which come in contact with it. Prolonged exposure t o considerably lower
CHEMICAL
FORUM temperatures may cause gradual charring and eventual ignition of wood, textile fibers, a n d paper. Even the moderate temperatures produced b y low pressure steam pipes occasionally cause fires by promoting spontaneous ignition in oily waste, paint-soaked clothing, or other materials with spontaneous heating tendencies. An uninsulated metal exhaust stack from an oil-fired fuxnace, located in t h e storage room of a p a p e r board plant, ignited roll paper accidentally piled against it and t h e resultant fire caused damage exceeding $100,000. In another instance, a bare p i p e carrying steam passed through a rayon waste storage bin. T h e pipe caused c h a r r i n g and eventual ignition of the waste in contact -with it and the fire spread t o nearby bins. Estimated damage was $9000. Some state industrial safety codes require heated surfaces to b e insulated, for the protection of plant workers. T h e General Industry Safety Orders issued by the State of California's Department of Industrial Relations states that ". . . exposed metallic surfaces h a v e an external surface temperature sufficient to b u m animal tissue . . . where subject to contact within 7 feet . . . from t h e floor . . . or within 1 5 inches . . . from stairways, ramps, o r fixed ladders, shall b e covered with thermal insulating material. . . ." I n numerous situations, workroom temperatures are increased b y heat radiated from uninsulated surfaces t o a level causing acute worker discomfort or even to the point of health hazard. Studies have pointed up lowered efficiency and increased accident rates under such conditions.
ISEA Elects Officers T h e Industrial Safety E q u i p m e n t Association, at its annual meeting held at Sky top, Pa., reelected Charles H . Gallaway of American Optical C o . as president. Elected to t h e vice presidency was Earl H. Brooks of Safety Clothing a n d Equipment C o . Jess A . Brewer, Industrial Gloves Co., and G . M. Glidden, Acme Protection Equipment Co., were elected to the b o a r d of trustees. Carrying over as board members until next year are Frank R. Davis, Jr., Davis Emergency Equipment Co., a n d Stanley C. Herbine, Willson Products C o . Lawrence E . Dickson, junior past president, automatically continues as a board member for another year. Quarterly meetings of the association are also held for t h e purpose of maintaining high standards of quality, representation, and business ethics. All types of safety products a r e represented by the ISEA. Inquiries o o specific problems of safety equipment a r e welcomed by the group.
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ENGINEERING
NEWS
