PRODUCTION
HYDRAZINE
SAFETY Injury Rates f o r 1952 M a y Set N e w Low
Base Hydrate • Salts
CHEMICAL I! 600 Ferry S t r e e t
CO.,
INC
Newark 5, N . J
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Injury rates for manufacturing hit a new low for the first nine months oT 1952, according to preliminary reports received by the U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average of 13.8 injuries per million man-hours was t h e lowest rate for the first nine months o f any year on record and was 0.1 units above the figure for the first six months of 1952 (C&EN, Nov. 17, 1952, page 4 8 9 2 ) . Unless there is a marked upswing in the injury rates for the last quarter of the year, the average for the full year will also s e t a new low mark. The third quarter average of 14.0 was only fractionally higher than the second quarter rate in 1952; in most previous years there have been substantial increases between the second and third quarters. Among individual industries, increases slightly outnumbered decreases between the second and third quarters of 1952. However, on the basis of averages for the first nine months, almost two thirds of the 137 industries for w h i c h data were available showed improvendent in their safety record over the previous year.
Container f o r S t o r a g e of Radioactive M a t e r i a l s
FORUM For further information on any keyed item mentioned here, see coupon on page 612 Among the outstandingly low rates recorded for the first nine months were synthetic fibers ( 1 . 6 ) , explosives ( 3 . 5 ) , and synthetic rubber ( 3 . 9 ) .
1952 W a s Safest Year In Monsanto's History Continuous efforts toward achieving safer operations have resulted in halving the Monsanto Chemical Co. accident frequency rate in the last five years, according to the company. Figures show 1952 to have been the safest in the company's history, with a frequency rate of 1.42 as compared with 3.08 for the 1948 period. During the year, 13 of 25 company plants operated without a single lost-time accident—almost double the best previous mark of seven plants. The company's 1.42 figure compares with a general chemical industry frequency rate of 5.48 and the 9.06 average figure of all industry. The company's plants at Texas City, Tex., and Trenton, Mich., have won the president's trophies in the company's annual safety competition for 1952. Both plants operated during 1952 with no losttime accidents. The Texas City plant, which employs more than 1100 persons, has an accident-free record of more than 3 million man-hours, and the Trenton plant, with 400 employees, has a record of over 2 million accident-free man-hours. This is the second time the Texas City plant has received this award and the second successive year for Trenton.
Safety Film Contest Opens
FL0RIDIN PRODUCTS Floridin products have been adapted by continuous research for the most advanced technical uses. O n any problem of adsorption—dehydration—catalysis—decoloration, you may find an answer in these prepared forms of Fullers Earth and Bauxitebased Adsorbents. Your inquiry will be given careful attention.
FLORIDIN COMPANY •'APSORBWiS'.
Dept. 3, 22i> UBtRIY ST.. WARREN. PA.
604
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A high intensity shielding container for the shipping and storage of cobalt 60radiography or other industrial sources has been developed by Tracerlab, Inc. The E-31B High Intensity Source3 Container is made of an outer shell of / 8 -inch malleable iron which is filled with lead. This is said to provide shielding equivalent to four inches of lead. It weighs 150 pounds, measures approximately 11 inches in height, and will hold u p to about 800 miliicuries of activity S 1 C H E M I C A L
The National Committee on Films for Safety is opening its 1953 contest to select the outstanding films on accident prevention produced or released during 1952. Awards will be made for selected motion pictures, theatrical and nonthcauical (16 m m . ) , dealing with safety in each of four fields—occupational, home, traffic and transportation, and general. Awards will also be made for selected sound slidefilms (sound filmstrips) in the same four fields. Entry blanks can be obtained from William Englander, Secretary, National Committee on Films for Safety, 425 North Michigan Ave., 5th floor, Chicago 11, 111. Deadline for receipt of entries is Feb. 23, 1953.
Safetygraph Discusses Handling of Liquid Chemieals "Chemical Spills and Burns," a recent addition to the National Safety Council's Safetygraph series, emphasizes the dangers of liquid chemicals, their safe handling, AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
Trisodium Phosphate ;;-.CRYSTALLINE! ^ MONOH YD.R Λ Ϊ Ε , ί ^
Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate
Sodium Polyphos is Blockson's brand name for a water soluble lui a waici J U I U U I I Phosphate λGlassy Sodium Ph able / I with the desirable \S.^J Λ characteristics characteristics of °f ·Sodium ^ Hexametaphosphate and I (SODIUM HEXAMETAPHO'SPHÂT|^ £ ' (SODIUM TETRAPKOSPMAT&S^Ê
Sodium Polyphos
ALSO MAJOR PRODUCERS OF: S O D I U M ACID CHLORINATED
PYROPHOSPHATE TRISODIUM
PHOSPHATE
DISOD1UM PHOSPHATE ANHYDROUS · CRYSTALLINE M O N O S O D I U M PHOSPHATE ANHYDROUS · MONOHYDRATE SODIUM
FLUORIDE
SODIUM
SILICOFLUORIDE BLOCKSON CHEMICAL C O M P A N Y
HYGRADE
V O L U M E
3 1,
FERTILIZER
NO.
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FEBRUARY
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SAFETY
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and transportation. M e t h o d s for clearly identifying chemicals, h o w to empty drums, carboys, and tank cars, what to do w h e n chemicals are spilled or splashed on workers, and measures t o take when overcome by chemical vapors are among the subjects covered. The Safetygraph, a visual aid for train ing small groups, consists o f 12 spiralbound 18- by 24-inch pages inserted in a brown leatherette cover. T h e portfolio is opened to form an easel. Trie safety talk is printed on the back surface of t h e easel in large type. On the front pages, facing the audience, are cartoons a n d illustrations that give visual impact to t h e talk. Prices may be obtained from the Na tional Safety Council, 4 2 5 North Michigan Ave., Chicago 11, 111.
Films Feature Foreman's Role in Plant S a f e t y P r o g r a m The foreman's key position in the plant safety program is the theme of t w o safety films released by the National Safety Council. "Pick Your Safety Target," an all-color cartoon film based on actual accident re duction plans within industry, features a foreman beset with an accident-ridden de partment. T h e film sets forth a three-step plan for detecting accident causes and tak ing corrective action. T h e second film, "A Gray D a y for O'Grady," employs a series of comedy situations to dramatize the high cost of accidents. O'Grady, the n e w foreman, learns that it takes time and money to pre vent accidents, but that it takes a lot more time and money t o have accidents. Additional information a n d prices may be obtained from the National Safety Council, 4 2 5 North Michigan Ave., Chi cago 11, 111.
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Lithium A l u m i n u m H y d r i d e (LiAiHj for ester reductions offers additional industrial advantages: •
reaction is reliable
•
standard equipment, standard techniques are used
•
reaction usually goes at room temperature
β
generally high yields
njlfili? *
generally no side reactions
tl^Jib ·
reduction goes all the way to ihe primary alcohol
Emergency Power System Uses Nickel C a d m i u m B a t t e r i e s
LAH is also known for its reductions in a broad range of functional groups to amines, azo compounds, thioethers and thiols, and its rapid, smooth reactions at normal room temperatures and atmospheric pressures. For further data on LAH applicable to your use, please write
Award. . .
es 14
606
T h e Electric Cord Co.'s Light Warden is an automatic emergency power system that features nickel cadmium batteries and automatic charging. According to Electric Cord, these features present ad vantages not available with lead acid bat teries. The instrument cannot b e over charged, cannot deteriorate, and is im mune to occasional excessive discharge and short circuits. It will b e available in voltages from 6 to 110, with ampere capacity to meet specific requirements. S 2
CONGRESS
STREET
BEVERLY
MASS.
C H E M I C A L
General Electric C o . ' s alkyd resin chemical plant at A n a h e i m , Calif., has completed more than a quarter of a mil lion man-hours without a lost-time acci dent. The last lost-time accident at Ana heim was on D e c . 8, 1947'. Recognition was recently given to the plant's employees by the National Safety Council, which gave them a certificate of commendation. A N D
E N G I N E E R I N G
NEWS
