Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

ACCIDENTS AT METALLURGICAL WORKS IN THE UNITED STATES DURING 1915Source: Monthly Review of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Vol. 4, No. 3 (MARCH, 1917),pp. 433-434Published by: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of LaborStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41823334 .

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MONTHLY BEVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOB. STATISTICS. 433

Most of the dependents cared for by private institutions were in so-called benevolent homes, the table on page 432 showing 2,940 persons, entailing a cost of $602,279.94. In explaining the method of determining the net cost to the institution the report states that "all aged persons who contributed amounts which equaled or exceeded the cost of their care were not considered as aged dependent persons and were therefore eliminated from consideration.7 7

ACCIDENTS AT METALLURGICAL WORKS IN THE UNITED STATES DURING 1915.

The Bureau of Mines has published its second report 1 on accidents at metallurgical works, the first being for the calendar years 1913 and 1914 (Technical Paper 124), which was noticed in the Monthly Review for May, 1916, page 89. These latest figures cover the returns from 110 smelting plants in 1915 as compared with 94 in 1914, and include copper, lead, and zinc, and quicksilver smelters, as well as refineries. The iron blast furnaces are not included in the figures given. The number of ore-dressing plants reporting in 1915 was 560 as compared with 484 in 1914 and 311 in 1913. These represent concentrating plants for copper, lead, and zinc ores, stamp mi]ls, cyanide plants, and iron-ore washers. A larger number of operators reported for the year 1915 than did for 1914, as indicated above. The total number of men reported employed in the metal- lurgical plants, both smelters and ore-dressing plants, was 49,891 as compared with 41,461 in 1914.

The number of fatalities reported at metallurgical plants was 68, at ore-dressing plants 30, and at smelters 38. The number of nonfatal injuries reported at ore-dressing plants was 2,095 and at smelters 5,718. Of the injuries reported 3 were permanent total disabilities, 1 at an ore-dressing plant and 2 at smelters. There were 63 permanent partial disabilities at ore-dressing plants and 87 at smelters.

In the following table, drawn from reports of the Bureau of Mines, the fatality and injury rates are shown where possible for the two years 1914 and 1915 in the different mineral industries in the United States. 1 United States Bureau of Mines. Technical Paper 164. Accidents at Metallurgical W orks in the United

States during the calendar year 1915. Washington, 1916. 20 pp.

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434 MONTHLY REVIEW OP THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

SUMMARY OF LABOR AND ACCIDENTS IN THE MINERAL INDUSTRIES, UNITED STATES.

Employees. Killed. Injured.

and a Day's work Pat, Per Per Per Industry and a year. performed. Day's On Actual Pat, 1,000 Actual 1,000 1,000 Actual. 300-day num- 300-day num- em- 300-day basis. ber. work- ber. ploy- work- pioyees. ers> ces. ers.

Metal mines: 19141 42,785,840 158,115 142,619 559 3.54 3.92 30,216 191.10 211.87 Ore-dressing plants; 1914 4,567,529 15,128 15,225 23 1.52 1.51 1,434 * 94.79 94.19 191 5 5,732,184 18,564 19,107 30 1.62 1.57 2,095 112.85 109.65 Smelters:« 1914 9,700,769 27,879 32,336 33 «1.18 1.02 5,673 5 203. 49 175.44 191 5 10,878,486 31,327 36,262 38 1.21 1.05 5,718 182.53 157.69 Coal mines: 191 4 157,979,295 763,185 526,598 2,454 3.22 4.67 1915 767,554 2,266 2.95 Coke ovens: 191 4 6,372,259 22,313 21,241 45 2.02 2.12 2,189 98.10 103.06 1915 9,424,476 31,060 31,415 38 1.22 1.21 2,852 91.82 90.78 Quarries: 1914» 20,456,157 87,936 68,187 180 2.05 2.64 7,836 89.11 114.92

2 * No figures for 1915. * In Technical Paper 164 this rate is given as 96.71. » Not including the iron and steel industry. « In Technical Paper 164 this rate is given as 1.19. » In Technical Paper 164 this rate is given as 203.12.

SAFETY WORK OF THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.

The latest annual report of the New Jersey department of labor covers the year ending October 31, 1915.1 It contains reports of the activities of the various bureaus and divisions, and includes also specifications for standard safeguards, an account of what the department has accomplished through its division of hygiene and sanitation in the minimizing of occupational hazards in a number of specified industries, the work of enforcing the child-labor laws and of giving protection to women workers, methods pursued and the scope of the records taken in making factory inspections, and a statement t)f orders issued based on inspection surveys.

Considerable attention is given to the work done by the division of hygiene and sanitation. Following a brief discussion of industrial tuberculosis the report presents a partial list of industrial hazards recognized by the department and which have been eliminated or are in course of special investigation. These include lead poisoning, lead fumes, lead dust, mercury poisoning, arsenic compounds, turpen- tine poisoning, sulphuric-acid poisoning, carbon-bisulphide poisoning, nitrous poisoning, wood-alcohol poisoning, brass poisoning, phenol poisoning, nitrobenzol poisoning, chrome poisoning, carbon-monoxide poisoning, carbon dioxide poisoning, benzene poisoning, and anilin poisoning. It is stated to be the desire of the department to pub- lish a standardization of actual installations for the removal of dusts and fume, covering specific gravities; centrifugal force; natural lines

» New Jersey. Report of the department of labor, 1915. Camden, 1916. 80 pp. Illustrated.

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