Good Results From Firm’s Safety Drive

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29799, 16 April 1962, Page 15

Good Results From Firm’s Safety Drive

What can be achieved when an industrial firm makes a planned, continuous drive to reduce its accident rate is demonstrated by the spectacular results of the safety campaign in the Christchurch plant of Cyclone Industries (N.Z.), Ltd. “Our safety campaign began in 1958 when a study of the firm's records showed there had been 118 injuries to eyes in the plant during the first six months of 1957," said the factory supervisor (Mr N. W. Murnane). “The average number of eye injuries a year in the factory from 1952 to 1957 was 172. The average number of men working in the plant during that period was from 90 to IQO. “A large number of the eye injuries were caused by flashes from welding equipment and others from splinters from emery wheels and other equipment and machine tools,” Mr Murnane said.

The management then decided that anyone entering “danger areas” in the plant, foremen, leading hands, employees and management, must wear safety spectacles. “The result was that the number of eye injuries was reduced from 179 in 1957 to 24 in 1958.” The management was still not satisfied that all avoidable accidents were being prevented, Mr Murnane said “It was decided that everyone in the whole of the production plant area must wear safety'spectacles all the time. Anyone entering the area,

visitors, directors, executives, must wear safety spectacles. “All the men. are paid a bonus every week and the strict rule is that any employee seen in the production plant without safety spectacles forgoes that week's bonus. If he is seen twice in one week without safety glasses, he loses the bonus for two weeks. Executives seen in the plant without safety spectacles are fined. “When the rule was first introduced, men lost their bonus money quite frequently. Now we go for months without having to dock any bonuses. “Our firm now insists, as a term of employment, that new workers must agree to wearing safety spectacles," Mr Murnane said. The safety campaign had definitely paid handsome dividends to both management and staff, said Mr Murnane The reduction in man-hours of production lost to the firm by the sharp decline in the accident rate had recompensed the firm a hundred times the amount spent on safety factors.