With accidents reaching their peak in the Pulp
& Paper Industries during the first three years of
World War Two, it was realized by Management
and those interested in accident prevention work
throughout the South, that something would have
to be done to combat the needless suffering and
enormous cost that automatically goes hand in
hand with personal injuries.
A meeting held in Birmingham, Alabama, in
September 1944, and attended by representatives
from Champion and Ecusta, resulted in the form
ing of the Southern Pulp and Paper Safety Asso
ciation that has continued to grow in recent years.
It was decided that yearly meetings would be held
with some one of the member plants acting as
hosts, and that after an inspection was made of
the host plant by the entire group of representa
tives in attendance, a business session would im
mediately follow. In these business sessions, the
group would let their hair down so to speak, in
a discussion of any hazardous conditions that had
been noted during the inspection, or pertaining
to any mutual problems with reference to acci
dent prevention work in the Pulp & Paper In
dustry. Ideas about guarding hazardous machinery
was discussed; accident cases that had occurred in
the respective plants since the last meeting were
thoroughly aired to all in attendance; and it was
readily agreed that the exchanging of safety ideas
was beginning to pay dividends. Dividends not
only in the elimination of human suffering which
was foremost in the minds of every representative
at these meetings, but dividends in cutting down
needless costs that resulted from accidents, as well
as guaranteeing much smoother operations as a
result of less personal injuries and the natural in
terruptions that follow them.