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besides a general port authority: ; (a) A general port federation or association of shipping interests. (b) A general port federation or association of labor. : Now, the recipients of practically all of the injuries are the longshore- men. They are protected usually by some compensation law insuring them 50 per cent to 65 per cent of their wages for time lost through injuries received while at work. As a class they are not thrifty. They spend just what they earn and if not se- riously injured, rather enjoy their bet- ter than half pay holiday. There is, of course, a percentage who strive hard to avoid injuries, but the bulk are of rather fatalistic tendencies. This being the case, definite stimu- lation from some outside source is necessary to accomplish any reduc- tion in this 80 per cent frequency and 60 per cent severity. Hold Men to Account Obviously the first essential is to present the case clearly to the long- ‘shoremen and to continually keep them posted as to their responsibility for individual accidents as they hap- pen. They must then be impressed with every phase of the necessity of making an effort to improve their safety record, through encourage- ment to avoid the misery caused by themselves and through the enforce- ment of regulations to avoid the ex- penses caused to the industry. Here then, is where a safety department must analyze the hazards existing, determine the relation of employer and employe responsibility where in- juries are received and frame reg- ulations, or standards of Secure to prevent recurrence. Having this part of the safety de- partment’s work accomplished will, however, take us only part of the way to a substantial reduction in this 80 per cent of injuries received. Ef- fort is necessary, and more than the effort that can be instilled by the most rigorously enforced regulations. An effort of good will is required from the longshoremen. ‘The desire to make a sustained effort to reduce injuries received must be instilled into the men and the men’s associa- tions. Men’s Committees to Investigate If the men can be induced to en- courage carefulness and censure care- lessness within their own associations, to hold courts of inquiry where they have been held to blame and to run safety competitions among themselves, injuries can be reduced to a mini- mum. It means selling the idea to the men’s associations and this selling is one of the most important func- 36 tions of the safety department. The idea is goodwill and the price is co- operation. The employer can have co-operation of the employe if he will give of his goodwill to the ex- tent of acknowledging his responsi- bility for injuries and by taking defi- nite action to improve the conditions, bringing this responsibility upon him. This brings us to the employer’s responsibility for injuries received, which we have set at 20 per cent frequency and 40 per cent severity. What further need for co-operation here? Better working conditions are required and they are not so easy to obtain, because the working places and a great part of the machinery used are supplied by owners, often represented only by agents in the employers association concerned. In simple language, stevedores can only supply good working conditions in- sofar as they can supply good tools and good _ supervision. Unless_ ship owners maintain good machinery and good equipment, bad working condi- tions will prevail. Co-operation be- tween stevedores, shipping companies, ship owners and ship agents is neces- sary to obtain sound working. con- ditions. Companies Should Co-operate Goodwill is the birthplace of good work and good working conditions. This is an axiom that might well be adopted wherever industry is carried on. As an example it is necessary that steamship agents should, when so required, be ready to support the association, by going to owners they represent and asking for improve- ments in equipment and machinery, to eliminate unsafe working condi- tions and maintain the goodwill exist- ing. That such action is necessary is realized by every stevedore who has loaded ships. Working condi- tions as found in almost a majority of deep sea ships would never be allowed in factories on land. Among the prevalent hazards might be men- tioned: 1. Hatch beams that cannot be securely fixed in their sockets. 2. Winches lacking guards moving parts. 38. Winches with insecure clutches. 4. Insufficient lights for night work, 5. Bad ladders into holds. 6. Ill-fitting and poorly conditioned hatchboards. 7. Lack of hold-fasts for snatch blocks, or other means of mechani- cally stowing heavy bulky cargo, such as logs. 8. Poor and insufficient hold-fasts f-~ guys and preventer guys on der- ricks. over MARINE REVIEW—July, 1927 Goodwill is the foundation of acci- dent prevention and to maintain this foundation it is necessary for ship- ping interests generally, to get to- gether and improve working condi- tions. Shipping organizations should op- erate safety committees to investi- gate all important accidents, the pre- vention of which lies outside the power of the _ individual injured, (these are estimated at 20 per cent of the accidents happening) and should take action to minimize the causes. Men’s organizations or associations should operate safety committees, to investigate all important acci- dents, the prevention of which lies within the power of the individual hurt, and should take action to mini- mize the causes. Back Up Safety Committees If any benefit is to be derived from these committees, their respective as- sociations must support them by tak- ing action with respect to their rec- ommendations or findings. Unless the employer tackles the question of “improvement in working conditions” and makes progress. in his attacks, it is useless for him to expect the worker to give up his careless habits. Without standardization of safe practices, the employer cannot elim- inate many hazards now existing be- cause of the necessity of avoiding loss of time. With progress on the attack on “unsafe working conditions” enthu- siasm will prevail, the safety com- mittees will flourish. Safety competi- tions will be possible and ‘no acci- dent” campaigns can be carried to successful conclusion. With ‘standardization of practices an undesirable phase of employer competition will vanish. Such is my idea of the co-opera- tion necessary to insure — progress of the safety movement in the steve- doring industry. Walter Rawlings Hough, president of the board of fire commissioners of Baltimore,.and chairman of the fire commissioners’ section of the Na- tional Fire Protection association, has been elected a vice president of the Garrison Fire Protecting System Inc., of New York. Mr. Hough for more than 10 years has been closely identified with the development of national fire preven- tion work. He was one of the origi- nators of the movement leading to the formation of the national fire waste conference of the chamber of com-’ merce of the United States.