their distance from the nip. In addition to the activities of the sub-committee individual firms have also experimented on different lines and, in one case, with apparently marked success. The protection in this case has been attained by raising the height of the rolls in relation to the working position. The worker stands in a deep trench cut in front of the machine, the depth being such that the height of the roll from the bottom of the trench is five feet. No difficulty is experienced in working under these conditions and, indeed, the worker states that, by reason of not having to stoop in brushing up the materials in the tray and in working over the rolls, he is much less fatigued at the end of the day's work. A hinged wooden flap is provided to cover the trench when not in use. This flap is turned up against the front of the machine during work and acts both as a guard and as a leg rest.

As a result of the conference and of these experiments the Indiarubber Manufacturers' Association now agree that guarding is practicable in any of the three following ways:—

(1) by providing means which will ensure that a worker shall work in such a position that he cannot in the ordinary course of his work reach beyond the crown of the rolls (distance guards);

(2) by a guard which provides protection at the nip of the rolls;

(3) by a bar plate or other device so placed and constructed that if the hand of the worker approaches the danger point of the nip of the rolls it will automatically operate a stop motion and bring the machine to rest.

For the present it seems necessary that, in addition to the protection afforded by types of guards 1 and 2, there should also be provided automatic stop motions wherever practicable, so that in the event of anything fortuitous happening which leads to the worker being trapped, he will still have means for stopping the machine. It is hoped that the provision of these guards will lead to marked reduction in this type of accident.

Following the agreement referred to, the staff have been instructed to require the provision of guards for the various classes of mixing rolls in rubber works.

Brick Works Machinery.-This subject was referred to in the Report for 1921 and the necessity for a higher standard of safety was emphasised, but three recent fatalities, one of a particularly distressing character, indicate that the standard throughout the country is not yet what it should be. Experience has shown that merely placing a couple of bars across the clay feed opening to

the crushing rolls is not sufficient, nor is a single rail round a grinding pan adequate. Two of the fatal accidents referred to resulted from defective fencing of this character.

Mr. Plumbe (Rotherham) calls attention to the possibility of gassing on the tops of some top-fired brick kilns, which are commonly walled and roofed in. No actual case has come to his notice, but occupiers have been warned of the danger and have provided oxygen apparatus in some instances.

Power Presses.-Special attention has been given to this subject during the past year, and efforts have been directed to secure a high standard of fencing throughout the country.

Table C (page 23), similar to those published in 1920, 1921, and 1922, has been prepared by Mr. Hepburn (Birmingham) showing the total accidents on metal working power presses in 1923. Commenting on the figures Mr. Werner, Superintending Inspector (Birmingham), remarks that the total of 547 shows an increase of 163 over that of the previous year, but that this increase is probably attributable simply to better employment in the general metal trades.

The two main principles for the fencing of press tools may be re-enunciated as follows:

(1) If the press operations can be carried on without the necessity for any parts of the operator's hands being placed between the upper and the lower dies, then fixed guards can be used; these should prevent any access to the tools either from the front or round the sides, whilst the press is in use.

(2) If it is necessary for any part of the hands of the operator to be placed between the upper and lower dies in the normal course of working, then an automatically operated guard is required, which will sweep the hands out of the danger zone in the event of the press operating from any cause whatsoever, before the worker's hands are clear.

No less than 48 of the accidents were directly due to fixed guards being used for operations of class (2), which required the hands to be placed between the dies; a fixed guard allowing the fingers to be inserted into the danger zone is obviously inefficient, and all these accidents might have been averted by proper guarding.

There were 93 other accidents on presses properly provided with fixed guards for operations of class (1), but in these cases the guards were badly fitted; although there was no need for a finger to be placed in the danger zone in normal working, the guards were adjusted so badly as to allow the operator to insert part of the hand for some purpose, such as the removal of a jammed article.

Nineteen per cent. of all accidents connected with the dies can be ascribed to defects causing repeat-strokes. This figure is made up of 11 per cent. of cases in which the cause of the repeat is not definitely specified, and 8 per cent. which were traceable to mechanical defects; 17 of these accidents were due to clutch failures, 6 were due to brake failures, and 4 were due to the seizing of the fly-wheel.

Having regard to the heavy penalties which have been inflicted during the past few years in prosecutions relating to accidents at improperly fenced power presses, it is rather astonishing, as Mr. Ward (Birmingham) remarks, to find that some occupiers have as yet failed to realise their responsibilities. Although appreciable advance has been made generally in the provision of secure fencing for these highly dangerous machines, there is still much to be done to secure full compliance at every factory.

The difficulties to be overcome in fencing of this kind arise almost entirely from the infinite variety of operations performed by modern presses. The heaviest machines, e.g., those used for cutting and forming such parts of motor cars as wings and panels, may have a feed opening of 6 feet across and a stroke of 3 feet ; these are necessarily slow in action and, where each machine is driven by a separate motor with a friction drive, the plunger can be stopped instantly at any point of the stroke. This greatly reduces the danger, and for the present (in the absence of recorded accidents on presses so constructed), a control lever for instantly stopping the press is being accepted as an adequate safety device. Very often on these very large presses, a second operator is required at the back of the machine; in such cases, an interlocking arrangement is fitted, so that the press cannot be started until both operators have released their control levers.

For all other presses, either a fixed or an automatic guard is essential; the alternative choice is very simply put by Mr. Ward:

As a general rule a fixed guard which completely encloses the tools should first receive consideration; if this is found impracticable, then some form of automatic guard for sweeping the fingers or hand out of the danger zone should be provided.

Several new automatic guards have recently been produced and are now being subjected to the test of continuous hard usage over a considerable period of time. Guards cannot be accepted as satisfactory for this particular class of machine until their efficiency has been proved under ordinary working conditions.

Some difficulty has been experienced in securing a satisfactory guard for presses in which very short runs of work are done. On such machines only a dozen of one particular article may be treated at a time and the constant changing and adjustment of the guard

occupies a disporportionate amount of time. For such machines a guard which will serve with a minimum of adjustment for a variety of operations is desirable.

Certain Inspectors comment on the apparent increase in the number of quite young persons who are set to operate power presses. Such work certainly calls for judgment and unremitting care and attention, qualifications hardly to be expected of adolescents. Generally the tendency is to try to make power presses foolproof," as admittedly it is asking too much of human beings to expect them never, under any circumstances, to make a slip through inattention in such a singularly monotonous mechanical movement as the feeding of power presses, particularly when these movements are repeated hour after hour, without much variation, for months or years on end.

An unexpected and satisfactory testimony to the usefulness. of an automatic guard was given by a young worker who naïvely remarked, when asked what she thought of it, “It is all right, I suppose, only it keeps knocking my hands away!"

Analogous dangers arise in presses dealing with material other than metal, and Mr. Brothers (Warrington) draws attention to a new type of press recently introduced into this country which is being used for making soap tablets. It appears that there are only about half a dozen of these machines in use but already they have proved to be dangerous. However, after an experimental period, a type of automatic guard has been devised which makes the machine safe both for the operator or for anyone engaged in adjusting the press.

Wire Rope Failures.-Seventy-three cases of failures of wire ropes were reported during the year. These caused 11 fatal and 50 non-fatal accidents; a single failure in some cases has resulted in injuries to more than one person. In 23 of the cases no person was injured. Particularly serious results followed the breaking of one of the rope slings attached to the trunnions of a ladle which contained about 6 tons of molten steel and was suspended from an overhead crane. Six men were killed by the burns inflicted on them by the molten metal. Whilst the crane was travelling down the shop the rope broke at the eye through local heating caused by the metal boiling over from the ladle.

in. in

Two men were killed by the fracture of a rope about diameter which passed over a pulley about 8 in. in diameter at a cathead. The men had been pulled up in a box for the purpose of examining the tackle at the cathead when the rope snapped and they fell a distance of over 80 feet to the ground. The rope was frayed for a length of about 8 feet by rubbing against the stone and brickwork. The case is one which draws attention to the necessity of thorough examination of all parts of ropes by a competent

person.

TABLE C.-Accidents on Metal Working Power Presses, 1923.

Press

Method of Feeding.