ACCIDENTS IN INDUSTRY

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29952, 13 October 1962, Page 14

ACCIDENTS IN INDUSTRY

Nearly Half Involve Hands

Finger and hand injuries accounted for needy 45 per cent, of the industrial accidents treated at casualty centres in Christchurch, said the district superintendent of the Labour Department (Mr C. P. Collins).

Fingers and hands were used in almost every industrial operation, but injuries to them did not normally irwolve the serious consequences of many other types at injury, so that safety precautions were likely to be neglected. Mr Collins said. Injuries to hands could be quite manor ones, such as abrasions or slight cuts, and' this type formed by far the largest proportion. But an accident could lead tn dermatitis or amputation. “That there is a need to protect hands and fingers is obvious from the large number of accidents recorded.: There is no shortage of protective equipment available, either in variety or quantity. It would seem, however, that workers do not appreciate the necessity to wear safety equipment.’* The total number of acci- ■ dents in industry in Christchurch was being reduced, I Mr Collins said. The average' number of cases treated a ■ month since January was 332. compared with an average of. 351 a month in the corresponding period last year. The young worker was still a problem, about one-third of all those treated being under 25.