Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 291, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1910 — TO PROMOTE SAFETY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TO PROMOTE SAFETY

WESTERN RAILROAD AIMS TO TRAIN EMPLOYES. New Kind of Campaign That Has for Its Object the Elimination of Accidents Wherever It Is Possible. The management of a great western railroad has entered on a campaign

for the reduction of accidents, which is being carried on by methods that probably ar« unique. A large majority of railroad accidents ard due td the care, lessness or recklessness of employes; most of them would be avoided if em* ployes would give reasonably strict obedience to orders and rules. For the pur-

pose of the campaign the employees and officers are being organized from the lowest rank in the operating department to the highest. - On every division there has been formed a committee of safety, each being composed of an engineer, a conductor, a fireman, a brakeman, a and a switchman, who are appointed by the superintendent. Similar committees have been formed in the various division shops, being appointed by the master mechanics. In the Chicago shops the committee is appointed by the superintendents at shops and the superintendent of motive power and machinery. These committees in the mechanical department consist of one man from each shop. There has also been appointed a committee on safety for the large yards in Chicago, composed of switchmen, who are appointed by the trainmaster of freight terminals. The personnel of these committees is changed constantly, one man on each committee retiring and a successor to him being appointed each month. Their duty, according to the Railway Age Gazette, is to investigate the causes of accidents, to seek to get their fellow employes to do all they can to remove them, and, when any action needs to be taken by employes, to recommend it to their superior officers. The purpose of the frequent changes of personnel is to familiarize with and interest in the subject of accidents, their causes and remedies, as many men as practicable, and thereby create among employes as much of the right kind of sentiment as possible. The committees meet monthly. A central committee to receive the reports and supervise the work of the committee of safety has been appointed. Matters requiring action which exceeds the authority of thia committee will be referred to the general managers.