His Royal Highness the Duke of York, who is a well-known safety first enthusiast, was the principal speaker at the Industrial Safety Congress, held in London in March of this year.

“Many people,” observed His Royal Highness, “are inclined to think of the accident problem in terms of street traffic only. But I would like to remind you that the industrial casualty list is three times as heavy as that of the road: that the number of workers annually compensated is equal to the entire population of a great city such as Leeds.

“In compensation alone, over £6,000,000 are paid annually, but this figure is only a fraction of the total cost of accidents in industry. Pain and privation to the worker cannot be measured in pounds, shillings and pence. Prevention is better than compensation, and employer and employed have everything to gain and nothing to lose by organised safety work.

Summing up the industrial and human significance of safety work, the Duke said: “Safety work is worth while. Safety work must be taken seriously, and be given a definite place in managerial functions. Safety work is neither a fad nor a stunt. Safety work demands the closest co-operation between all, from the highest paid to the lowest. Safety work benefits alike employer and employed, and it is a duty which we owe mankind.”

It is Only a Scratch

The consequences of neglect following upon injuries which at first sight might not appear to be serious, was touched upon by Commodore Douglas King (Secretary for Mines) in an interesting speech on 21st June last in the House of Commons. “I am impressed by the number of cases where, perhaps, some slight scratch on the hand or arm has, through neglect on the part of the man himself, actually resulted in death,” said Commodore King. “Had the men concerned,” he said, “shown proper care in having small injuries attended to their lives would have been in no jeopardy. It is really appalling to realise that a small scratch, if neglected, may cause death, whereas, in many cases, one finds that in a serious accident (where a man has been crushed or in other ways badly injured) he recovers his full strength again.”

This is all very true and should serve as a constant reminder to the men whose work exposes them to the possibly grave consequences of even minor injuries. In all injuries make “Safety First” your motto.

The clean shop is most likely to be the safe shop.