Abstract
The paper outlines the various aspects of the industrial safety movement, its attractiveness, economies, and inherent possibilities. The safety movement has been long ago divorced from altruistic conversation and put on a basis of cooperative helpfulness. Accordingly, the subject has been treated from a “cold” business standpoint in terms of dollars and cents; that is, in the approach to the problem the center of gravity has been shifted to the economic rather than humanitarian aspects. A brief historical review of the growth of the movement is first made, followed by some statistics of the losses in life and property caused by industrial accidents. The principal emphasis in what follows has been placed on the thesis, at present conclusively proved, that efficiency in production and safety are inseparably correlated. To afford a better perspective of the actual values involved, illustrative examples taken from the experience of different industrial companies are introduced. The role of engineers in accident prevention is next considered, and the discussion is concluded with several recommendations.
