lish the economics for the material It is known that rapid developmen are taking place in the use of pletics on which no reports were avai able.

Protected Duct Material Most Economical

From the data presented in Table : it is apparent that in long-term oper ations a protected duct material : most economical. Also, with the more corrosive fumes, greater initi. cost is justified. For those companies whose operations do not permit shut down for repairs, the loss due to breakdown may be far greater tha the saving involved in the ductwork so that only the most highly rate materials may be suitable.

The information presented or types of hood designs in Appendices B, C, D, and E is of great interest as it again presents much information which is readily applicable to many operations. Most of our operation require the use of lateral hood which are described in Appendix ( and a few of these are shown (p 113 The figure designations used a those from Appendix C of the codr.

2.40

1.20

0.56

0.65

Basic Information Contained in Code

The code contains much usefu data to assist in the design of exhaust systems for open tanks. It is no final answer to problems of that sort, a specific conditions may necessitate considerable variation from code recommendation. However, the basic in formation presented will definitely produce proper results for the usual operations required by industry. As in all safety codes, careful investigation of the operation is essential so that a good application is made. The importance of complete engineering drawings, and specifications is only overshadowed by the necessity for having reliable construction sources and close inspection of the installa tion as it progresses. Deviation from plans and damage to linings in transport and during installation can seriously affect the quality and life of any system.

BE CAREFUL!

J

UST recently, I read with inter

est what started out to be the success story of an automobile dealer in a Mid-Western city but finished as a recital of disaster that was the more horrible because it so easily could have been prevented. By hard work, intelligent management, and a consuming desire really to serve the motoring public, this dealer had built up a fine business. In due time he outgrew his original facilities, even though he had made numerous additions to them.

Finally, he was able to realize his life's ambition and build a plant that measured up to the ideals that he long had nurtured. The new building incorporated all the modern ideas of successful dealerships. It was large, handsome, practical in layout, splendidly equipped with service tools, exceptionally rich in all the things that go to make for the comfort of customers. It was by far the finest dealer establishment in the area, a "show place" measured by any standards. The $200,000 that it cost seemed to have been excellently spent.

by Oscar F. Lehman

The day of the formal opening was the happiest day of the dealer's life. The building was dedicated with fitting ceremonies, including a banquet, music, entertainment, souvenirs, etc. The whole town turned out to do him honor; the radio and newspapers saluted him as befitted a farsighted merchant and a good citizen. The community was happy that a fellow-townsman had done so well for himself.

Then came stark tragedy. Even before the dealer had found time to read all of the congratulatory messages on his new establishment, his service department received a telephone call to pick up a car that had

been badly damaged in a collision. It was found that considerable cutting and welding would have to be done to make the necessary repairs. The body of the car was taken off the chassis and then the gas tank was removed and placed against the wall, some six or eight feet from where the chassis was standing. This tank was nearly filled with gasoline when detached from the car.

Then the cutting and welding operations on the chassis began. Within a few minutes, there was a blinding flash and a terrible roar-the gasoline tank had exploded. Two mechanics were caught in the fire, which quickly spread to other cars and

As Safety Engineer of the Chrysler Corporation, Mr Lehman is credited with a remarkable record in cutting down accidents in his company. His program of safety instruction has had the full support of his company's executives. Mr Lehman is chairman of the Sectional Committee on Safety in Electric and Gas Welding and Cutting Operations which developed American Standard Z49.11950. The committee works under the procedure of the American Standards Association and is sponsored by the American Welding Society. Mr Lehman represents the Automobile Manufacturers Association on the committee.

Copies of the American Standard Safety in Electric and Gas Welding and Cutting Operations, Z49.1-1950, are available at 50 cents each.

Courtesy Chrysler Corp

trucks in the shop, as well as to stores of paint, oil, and grease. Soon the whole building was a raging inferno and the flames had such a start that the Fire Department was helpless to save it. Building equipment, office records, and several new automobiles were completely destroyed.

Worst of all, the two mechanics who had been working on the wrecked car were burned to death, sacrifices to carelessness, or to an inadequate knowledge of the proper precautions to take on a welding job. The official investigation proved that the gasoline tank had been leaking and that its contents had been ignited by sparks from the welding torch. Two human lives and almost $200,000 in property were lost simply because the gasoline tank had not been put in a safe place.

Only this morning a radio news commentator told of a similar accident that caused many thousands of dollars' damage to a building and its contents, with 1,000 workers idled. And the cause, again, was sparks from a welder's torch igniting flammable materials left too close to the work.

Almost daily, the newspapers print accounts of similar catastrophes, not all of them, fortunately, so damaging

as those already related, but nevertheless costly in injuries to workers and property destroyed.

The inescapable conclusion is that while welding, when conducted according to sound safety rules, is one of the most necessary and useful processes we have in manufacturing and building; it is one of the most dangerous operations known to industry unless workers are careful and are fully informed of procedures needed to eliminate its hazards.

Today, welding is a big business, whether it be in the construction industry, automotive industry, agricul tural industry, transportation industry, in public utility corporations, communications, and many more. Even the many domestic items we purchase for use in our homes have been welded.

New and Better Methods Inventive genius has brought about the development of new and better methods of welding. With progress, accidents, health hazards. and fire hazards began to multiply. It soon became apparent that controls were necessary. Safety rules, regulation in health hazards, fire prevention, all were developed to make controls possible.

Standardization has brought about uniformity in welding equipment. from nipples and fittings to welding torches and welding tips, regulators, gages, and valves, including safety devices to protect this equipment. Electrode holders and electrodes and numerous other items are in use every day. Welding has become so practical that its use is now virtually worldwide.

Safety Is Essential

The elimination of accidents, conservation of health, and fire preven tion are partners for economy in operations. Now, as never before, safety is essential. No country, no matter how rich in natural and human resources, can afford a several billion dollar economic loss each loss each year through accidents and fire. Fires and explosions alone account for the loss of 10,000 or more lives and a terrific property loss annually in the United States.

Where do most of these fires happen? A brief analysis would indi cate, first, the more densely popu lated areas that comprise our cities. Here we find a well-organized sys tem of fire controls, fire fighting equipment, educational programs that begin with children in our schools, adult education, etc. Here, too, we find our larger industrial areas where planned programs and procedure in accident prevention and the elimination of fire hazards are as much a part of our daily activities as is the building of our products.

The picture changes as we travel from the city to the suburban areas where the population spreads out. Here, protection and controls are fewer. Here, too, small repair shops and service stations escape the close controls of local and state factory inspection service. As we journey from suburban districts out into the rural areas, it is not unusual to see familiar signs along the highways "General Repairs and Welding" with an arrow pointing toward the small cross-road shop. A little farther along, we come to a small village with a hand-painted sign indicating that here is another repair shop. Again welding is indicated. If the

village is large enough, perhaps there is an automobile agency with the customary service garage in the rear. The larger towns support from two to a number of such sales and service stations with each using welding equipment.

Today, we find thousands of installations of this kind throughout the country. Where did this equipment come from? It came from the mailorder catalog used by the farmer who wishes to set up his own repair shop and who buys what he thinks will be sufficient for his requirements. It comes from the catalog in the local hardware dealer's store, where the owner of the small repair shop can select for his needs as he sees them. It also comes from the traveling salesman who sells everything, from a cross-eyed darning needle to a railroad engine. So, we have graduated from the village blacksmith and his shop where welding was under comparatively safe conditions, regardless of how crude the methods were at that time, to our present-day electric and gas welding and cutting operations.

It is this new, more modern equip. ment that is being placed in the hands of inexperienced and untrained individuals that is giving us the greatest concern.

Printed instructions in the care, use, and maintenance of this equipment are often too limited in their scope to give the user full information that will protect him from situations that arise from time to time and that too frequently lead to disastrous results.

"An American Standard" What is the answer? An "American Standard." Recently, a sectional committee made up of representatives of the groups concerned, prepared a revision of American War Standard Safety in Electric and Gas Welding and Cutting Operations, Z49.1-1944. This revised standard, approved by the American Standards Association, is now American Standard Z49.1-1950. In booklet form, it is just off the press. It contains valuable information and advice from the installation, care,

The old village blacksmith shop was an interesting place when I was a boy in my teens. I vividly recall watching the smith working with metals of all kinds, seemingly a master of them all. I remember, too, how important I felt when he asked me to pump the bellows that supplied forced draft to the fire in the forge where he had placed the metals for preheating prior to being welded together.

Did I say "welded together?" Surely I did, for the village blacksmith in those days was an expert welder. He performed skillfully such operations as the forming of a horseshoe, the welding of the toe calk to complete the shoe, and the welding of a new point on a plowshare for the farmer. When the steel rim on a wagon wheel became loose, he would cut out a section, taper the ends, weld them together, and then heat the entire rim, placing it over the wooden felloes, pounding it into place, and throwing cold water upon it. As it cooled, the shrinking of the tire tightened it on the rim and the wheel was again as good as new. How about welding fluxes? Sure, the old time blacksmith used a welding flux-just one flux as I recall. He said it was a borax powder. Our mothers used it to soften hard water to make washing easier he used it in the fusion of metals, or welding as we know it today. Oscar F. Lehman.

use, and maintenance of acetylene generating units, including portable acetylene and oxygen units, to the manifolding of acetylene and oxygen cylinders generally piped into production areas and requirements for portable electric arc welding and resistance welding machinery. The standard points out too that information is available from other reliable sources from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, National Fire Protection Association, National Board of Fire Underwriters, American Welding Society, U. S. Bureau of Mines, and many others.

The American Standard is instructive and emphatic in its recommendations. Where imperative action is necessary, the word "shall" indicates a “must” from the standpoint of absolute safety in the elimination of accidents, prevention of fire, and health control. For example, the subject of Section 6 on page 31 of American Standard Z49.1-1950 is Fire Prevention and Protection. Article 6.1 sets forth the basic precautions for fire

prevention in welding or cutting work as follows: Article 6.1.1Where practicable, move the object to be welded to a safe location designated for welding. Article 6.1.2—If the object to be welded cannot readily be moved, all movable fire hazards in the vicinity shall be taken to a safe place. Article 6.1.3-If the object to be welded cannot be moved and if all the fire hazards cannot be removed, then guards shall be used to confine the heat, sparks, and slag, and to protect the immovable fire hazards. Article 6.1.4-If the rules stated in 6.1.1, 6.1.2, and 6.1.3 above cannot be followed, the welding and cutting shall not be performed. Special emphasis on article 6.1.2 clearly indicates that the observance of this short, simple rule would have saved a $200,000 investment and the lives of two workmen. American Standards are positive protection and definite insurance against losses which we can i afford at any time and, particularly, during the during the present world crisis.

How are unusual accidents to be counted in compiling a company's safety record? This is the question that constantly comes to the Committee of Judges, Sectional Committee Z16 on accident statistics, for decision. The Judges have ruled so far on some 140 cases. Seventy-one of these cases have already been published. Reprints are available from the American Standards Association. Cases 75 through 84 are reported below.

CASE 75. The injuries were a cerebral concussion and two lacerations of the scalp. The disability and lost time was caused by the cerebral concussion.

While doing work to which he was assigned, the injured bumped his elbow. This caused no injury; however, there was some pain. He stated to the men who were working with him that he had struck his "crazy bone." After stepping back a few steps from the machine on which he was working, he fainted and fell backwards, striking his head on a valve.

The injured had a record showing he had fainted on previous occasions. The disabling injuries sustained in the fall were the result of this weakness over which the employer had no control.

The company wanted to know if this should be classified as an industrial injury.

The committee agreed that this case should be classified as an industrial injury on the basis that the employee had fallen

and hurt his head on a valve and hence the injury was of industrial origin.

NOTE: Case 76 omitted. Committee asked for additional information before making a decision, but it was not provided. Case was closed without a decision.

CASE 77. An employee was taking 100pound bags off a chute table, which was about 42 inches high, and placing them on a two-wheeled hand truck. In the ordinary pursuit of his work, as he was transferring one of these bags in his arms from the table to the truck, without any slip, fall, or sudden jerk of any kind, he felt a pain in his groin. The pain was so severe that he dropped the bag, straightened up, and took a deep breath. By that time the pain was relieved sufficiently so that he could continue working. The company wanted to know if this hernia case should be included in the rates.

The committee believed that the history given justified counting this in the rates as a hernia meeting the provisions of paragraph 2.2 of the code.

NOTE: Case 78 omitted. Committee asked for additional information before making a decision, but it was not provided. Case was closed without a decision.

CASE 79. Two men, whose job it was to grind glass stoppers, were injured. Their regular job involved dipping their hands in water which contained carborundum dust.

The plant doctor felt that neither of the men should continue his regular work because of the irritation that might result from the grinding compound. However, he did state that the employees could perform other regular jobs in the department. They were, consequently, moved to other work in the same department.

One of the men worked for three days and the other worked for one day. They then consulted with their union representative and were advised to go home. The reason was that the union felt they should not do any work except their job of stopper grinding-a skilled job. The plant raised this question-since other regular work was available, although it was not in their regular skill, and since both men for a time performed the other work immediately after their accidents, should these accidents be taken as temporary total disabilities?

The committee agreed that the injuries to these two employees should not be included in regular industrial injury rates. This decision was made upon the basis that there was a regular job open and available in the plant, to which these employees could return and in fact they did return to this job for a short period. Their inability to work was not attributable to their injury except indirectly. The primary reason for their absence was essentially a labor dispute.

CASE 80. A company wanted to know if the following accident should be consid ered as arising out of and in the course of employment:

A janitress entered the women's rest room to "straighten things up." While in the room, she noted a large fly which she decided to kill. She knocked the fly to the floor with a broom and since the fly was only stunned, she attempted to step on it. As her foot decended on the fly, it struck the edge of a concrete step, resulting in a chip fracture of one of the bones in her right ankle and several weeks of lost time. The women's rest room was partitioned in two sections; one containing lounge facili ties and the other the toilet and wash basin. The section of floor containing the wash basin and toilet was about 5 inches higher than that of the lounge. The em ployee's foot struck the edge of the raised section of concrete flooring.

The committee agreed that this should be considered an industrial injury on the basis that this employee was carrying out the duties of her employment at the time she was injured.

CASE 81. A laborer was affected by an accidental release of SO, fumes which caused him to cough. While coughing, he noticed a burning sensation in the stomach area and a lump rose immediately. Another employee witnessed the incident.

This occurrence happened on May 18, 1949 at 11:45 a.m. The injured reported the same day to the dispensary attendant. He was referred to the doctor on the following day, May 19. The doctor reported as follows: "Separation of muscles resulting in small ventral hernia-above umbilicus."

The employee lost no time. He returned to his normally assigned duties. Questions for decision:

1. Because the injury is called "hernia" is this to be considered a disabling injury?

2. If so, should the standard time charge of 50 days be made as in the case of an inguinal hernia?

3. If the standard time charge does not apply in this case, what time charge, if any, should be made?

The committee agreed that in accordance with the report this injury was a hernia; therefore it should be reported in the rates, in accordance with paragraph 2.2. In accordance with paragraphs 4.4.1, the time charge should be shown as 50 days.

Some of the members of the committee expressed the opinion that the drafting committee, in preparing the 1945 edition of the code, probably had not contemplated the type of hernia described in this report. Since the code makes specific provisions for hernias, however, the committee had interpreted that this provision applies to all hernias. This paragraph may come up for further consideration, in connection with a revision of this code.

CASE 82. An employee was changing into his work clothes in the plant changehouse. As he pulled on his trousers he was bitten