Newspapers / Amco News (High Point, … / Aug. 1, 1962, edition 1 / Page 12
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E SAFETY then go aliea.d. A job wortli doing is worth doing carefully. " DEVICE DISCOVERED It has been said the most effec tive safety device is attached to a man's shoulder. It is his head. Most accidents are the result of failure to apply all the know how and training in the performance of our jobs. We are taught the proper methods of lifting, but we fail just once to apply those methods and the result is a strained muscle or a slipped disc. A lot bag is lifted high to shake out the socks instead of emptying the bag in a truck or some container at a lower le vel and a pulled muscle is the res\ilt. Objects are left on the floor caus ing one to trip as he moves about the plant. Instead of moving the objects, we continue to walk around them - until we fail to see them - just once - and fall. A machine is not working just right - a spring is broken causing the foot pedal to operate just a little dif ferent - the difference is pointed out but we fail to carry out additional in structions - and our hand is caught in the machine . A yarn man attempts to place a case of yarn on a higher level without proper help - a back sprain is the re sult. Splatter boards in need of repair are still in use. Molten metal spews through one of them striking and burn ing an operator. Sounds unbelievable, you say. They are not make believe accidents. They all happened in our plants iA August. They could have been pre vented with proper care and foresight. Use of the safety device on top of our shoulders would have avoided them. In the words of Walter Webb, fixer, plant one, and safety committeeman, "Never second guess your ability to do a job and do it safely. Get help when needed. Be sure you are right. ONE SECOND Let me tell you what happens in the first fatal second after a car go ing 55 mph hits a solid object. In the first tenth of a second, the front bumper and grille collapse. The second tenth finds the hood crumpling, rising and striking the windshield as the spinning rear wheels lift from the ground. Simul taneously, fenders begin wrapping themselves around the solid object and, although the car's frame has been halted, the driver's body is still going 55 mph. Instinct causes the driver to stiffen his legs against the crash and they snap at the knee joint. During the third tenth of the se cond, the steering wheel starts to disintegrate and the steering column aims for the driver’s chest. The fourth tenth of a second two feet of the car's end wrecked while the rear end still moves at 35 mph and the driver's body is still traveling 55 mph. In the fifth tenth the driver is impaled on the steering column and blood rushes to his lungs. The sixth finds the impact built up to the extent that feet are ripped out of tightly laced shoes. The brake pedal breaks off. The car frame buckles in the middle and the driver's head bangs into the wind shield as the rear wheels, still spinning, fall back to earth. In the seventh tenth hinges rip loose, doors open, and the seat breaks free striking the driver from behind. But he doesn't mind, because he is already dead, and the last three tenths of a second mean nothing to him.
Amco News (High Point, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 1962, edition 1
12
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