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Show PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS. No ono knows definitely how many men are Injured in industrial acci-dents acci-dents in the United States. Tho de- I partment of commerce and labor in 190S estimated that there are froai 30,000 to 35,000 fatal and not less than 2,000,000 non-fntal accidents every year, A case was recently brought to my attention where a factory Inspector In one of the Western states' called for safety devices In one plant which would require the expenditure of $70,-000. $70,-000. This would have paralyzed the resources of the small organization that owned tho plant if the order had been rigidly and promptly enfprced; but an arrangement was made whero by the work could be carried alonj; gradually, relieving to a certain extent ex-tent the" financial burden that otherwise other-wise could have hardly been carried. With the United States Steel Cor-poratlou, Cor-poratlou, however, this consideration . , has not entered seriously Into the task 5 of the safety Inspector. Automatic ' engine stops in the mills of the Am- erlcan Steel and Wire company (which V constitutes only about one-seventh ot l the entire corporation) have cost ap- i proximately $50,000, and Its equip- J ment of automatic stop valves In boil- ; er plants amounts to about $100,000 more; $6200 was appropriated for placing plac-ing a walk-way on the side of an open j hearth building, to allow the crane j boys to escape quickly In case a ladle fc of hot metal should be spilled; a sub- way under railroad tracks to enable workmen to reach a mill without the risk of crossing these tracks amounted j to $12,000 In another plant $30,000 wa3 appropriated for placing overhead , j walks and runways for tho use of win- I dow cleaners and electricians. j The first Installation of this kind , j consisted of an arrangement for do?- tj lng tho steam valve of an engine, con- w! trolled by electric push buttons placed tfl at various convenient points through- f, i out the mills; all that was required I t stop the machinery in an entire department de-partment was the touching of a but-ton but-ton as one would ring a doorbell. Where a man is caught in power driven machinery the extent of his Injury Is j likely to be In direct ratio to the time . J that elapses before the machinery can ' I bo stopped and the man released, and the push button stop system seemed to be an admirable system of preventing prevent-ing or limiting such accidents. Iron i Age. ' on ' . j |