DANGERS IN FACTORIES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 71, Issue 36, 22 November 1950, Page 4

DANGERS IN FACTORIES

“NEW ZEALANDERS TOO COMPLACENT” DOCTOR DEPLORES HIGH ACCIDENT RATE (N.Z.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 21. New Zealanders are too complacent about dangers associated with factory work, and a full programme for the prevention of occupational diseases' and factory accidents in which industry itself could play an important part is urgently needed. Dr. Janet Brown, Industrial Medical Officer of Health for the Wellington dis- • trict, gave this, warning in an address on industrial hygiene to the Wellington Rotary Club to-day.

Dr. Brown deplored the high accident rate in New Zealand factories. Excluding sawmilling, mining, waterfront, railways, and building accidents, there were 7609 industrial accidents in 1948. On the roads there had been, 196' people killed. She said that there had been a terrific development of New Zealand light industry in recent years, and to-day there were 20,246 registered factories in the country, employing 170,000 workers. Of these 93 per cent, employed fewer than 20 people. Conditions in many of these were poor, and patchwork improvements only were possible because of the shortage of materials. It was, moreover, difficult for inspectors to keep a check on all factories, partly because some were situated in remote parts of the country. She did not know how some New Zealand engineers, whose standard was regarded as high, could work in the poor lighting she had seen in some factories. Conditions in battery factories were sometimes not good and were difficult to improve. Poisonmg from one lead-recovery plant had killed six of a neighbouring farmer’s cows. A girl working with her mother at home making pearls had suffered from anaemia resulting, it was believed, from fumes from the type of solvent used. In Invercargill a post-mortem examination had revealed that a man had died from trichlorathylene poisoning through faulty plant. The manufacture of organic phosphorous compounds, synthetic dyes, radio-active substances, and various drugs presented new difficulties for the health of the worker. She had been connected with the case of a man suffering delirium from atabrin used in the manufacture of tablets to cure seasickness. Those engaged in the printing and fertiliser industries were examined at monthly periods as the law required, but in many industries improved ventilation, good protective clothing good general amenities, and education in personal hygiene were necessary.