Atomizer, April 8, 1955

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VOLUME III
PORTSMOUTH AREA AEC PROJECT
APRIL 8, 1955
NUMBER 7
Month Of March Records Six Serious lost Time Accidents
FALL GUY!!! The words "fall" and "accident" are becoming synonomus at the local AEC installation as statistics reveal that eleven of the past thirteen accidents are attributed to falls of various
natures. The photograph above was taken minutes after an employee's body had been removed
from the concrete floor and rushed to a hospital. Unsafe practices while working on the scaffold
brought about the fall and the serious injury of a worker. The arrow and body outline clearly indicate the path of the fall from the seven foot scaffold. This accident was but one of the six which
occurred during the month of March, 1955. The photo presents several violations of good safety
practices. The three most obvious are: 1—debris cluttering stand surface. 2—Absence of guard
rails. 3—Unlocked wheels—they all add up to one serious lost time accident
MEET THE MANAGEMENT:
Tom W. Wilson Directs Construction
Activity For PKS Company Field Men
This is Tom Wilson, Peter Kiewit Sons' Co. Area Superintendent in the X-330 Building.
Tom is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a graduate of
the    University   of    Wisconsin
with a degree in Civil Engineering. Prior to 4 years at the University, he spent 3 years in the
Army with the 104th Infantry
Division.
TOM W. WILSON
His employment with Peter
Kiewit Sons' Co. started in the
spring of 1950 on the Intake
Structure of the Garrison Dam
Project in Riverdale, North Dakota.
He was transferred to the
Portsmouth Project in September of 1952. Originally assigned
to duties of an engineer in the
Construction Engineering De-i
partment, Tom has also served
as an Area Engineer in the construction of the X-333 Building.
From April, 1954 until the first
of the current year Tom had been
the Swing Shift Superintendent.
The Wilson family composed
of wife, Ruth, son Tommy,
daughter Kathy, are presently
(Continued on page 2)
EMPLOYEES TO DANCE
GLENN MILLER STYLE
A project dance for all employees wil be held in Chillicothe at the Elks Auditorium on
Saturday, April 16, 9 'til 1.
Luther F. Poling, chief, Recreation Division, has announced
that the party will be entertained with the music of Ronald
Ball and his orchestra of Ashland, Ky., who made a tremendous hit at the last Portsmouth
dance. The young music maker
has enlarged his "sax" section in
preparation for a special evening of Glenn Miller music taken
from original arrangements used
in the movie "The Glenn Miller
Story".
WHICH OF THE SIX ACCIDENTS WERE
YOU INVOLVED IN OR DID YOU SEE?
The month of March added six more lost time accidents
to the project safety record, bringing the total since the first of the
year to 17. As has been the case in many accidents on the project,
the major cause has been falls
with three of the six attributed
to falls from various heights.
The accidents are being reviewed and published in this
edition of THE ATOMIZER
with the hope that others might
profit from the mistakes made
by the injured men. Once it was
said that it is human to error,
but most definitely criminal to
make the same error twice. In
safety conscious minds the initial error might sometimes be
fatal and therefore shouldn't be
risked. If you are lucky the first
error might produce only minor
consequences; but to risk a second mishap might be the last.
Safety is the responsibility of
each individual worker. It begins there and the advice of
your supervisors can only be of
assistance in insuring your getting home safely at night.
It is hoped that the accidents
which occurred in March, printed below, might serve as that
"first error" to many employees
and prevent the second, and perhaps fatal, mishap.
ACCIDENT NUMBER ONE: Fitter,
Grinnell, X-333 Building. Injured while
descending from 21-foot scaffold. While
climbing down, he grabbed the toe-
board for hold. The board gave way
and he fell, hitting steel beam at 14-
foot height. Contusion of hand and side.
CAUSE: Descended from scaffold improperly using frame instead of ladder.
Rx: Instructions are issued by foreman as to the proper method of ascending and descending ladders on scaffolds. These were disregarded completely and the employee used the scaffold
frame. It should be completely obvious
that the ladder is placed on the scaffold
for a purpose. WHY NOT USE IT?? At
a height of 21 feet the man was very
fortunate in that he is still alive to read
about his accident. A simple prescription for preventing this accident: No
matter where you are, always remember to use the ladder when working on
a scaffold.
ACCIDENT NUMBER TWO: Fitter,
Grinnell, X-333 Building. Injured while
performing grinding operation in crouching position in a confined area. Grinder
slipped from his hand and the disc
cut the employee's right knee. Laceration of knee.
CAUSE: Failure to determine hazards
BOX   SCORE   FOR   MARCH
Company
Man-Hours
Accidents
Frequency
Severity
PKS
594,497
0
0.00
94
GRINNELL
682,869
5
7.32
142
R-N
376,681
0
0.00
0
GEO. KOCH
158,067
1
6.33
38
LUMP SUM
92,357
0
0.00
0
TOTALS
1,904,471
6
3.15
83
In response to many questions concerning the computation of the frequency and severity
rates appearing in the monthly safety box score the following definitions are provided. THE
FREQUENCY RATE shall be the number of chargeable lost time injuries per million man hours
of exposure, computed according to this formula:
Frequency Rate
Number of Injuries x 1,000,000
Total Man Hours
THE SEVERITY RATE shall be the total lost time charges, in days, per 1.000,000 hours worked computed according to this formula:
Severity Rate = Total Pays Charged x 1,000,000
Total Man Hours
of operation prior to performance of job.
Rx: Prior to entering the confined a-
rea the employee should have been instructed by his foreman to check the
following factors:
1. Test the mechanical switches and
operation of the grinder.
2. Operate the machine in open a-
rea in order to become familiar
with the strength needed to control it.
3. Test to see how far it needs to be
held from the body and simulate
the operation in a crouched position.
4. Be alert to possible failures of the
device.
ACCIDENT NUMBER THREE: Fitter,
Grinnell, X-333 Building. Injured while
crawling beneath pipe and hit back on
flange,   resulting   in  fractured   rib.
CAUSE: Failure to use the proper access to point of work.
Rx: Foremen are to keep provided access alleys to points of work clear at
all times. Employees are to use this
means of getting to their work site and
not to take short cuts which will result
In accidents such as the one above.
ACCIDENT NUMBER FOUR: Sheet
metal worker, George Koch Sons, Inc.,
Sheet Metal storage yard. Injured while
helping to unload 15 panels from a
trailer. Seven had been removed and
when attempting to remove the twelfth,
it and the other three slid and toppled
over, pinning left leg of injured against
the side of the trailer. Contusion of left
thigh.
CAUSE: Improper unloading methods.
Rx: Prior to unloading, the trailer
should be examined by a foreman of
the crew and the crew members. At
this point it should be determined
whether or not the load has been properly stacked. If a sliding danger appears to be present, the material should
be unloaded by machine and not by
men. Thus, a preliminary inspection
and a decision as to the safest method
of removing the improperly stacked
paneling would have prevented an accident. When it is suspected that material might slide, then all men should
keep clear of the load. Do not risk pulling one piece from the pile and hoping
that it will not slide.
ACCIDENT NUMBER FIVE: Fitter,
Grinnell, X-326 Building. Injured while
working on scaffold. Leg of scaffold
was hit by protruding material on a
trailer, causing scaffold to move and
man fell. Contusion and fracture of
hand and foot.
CAUSE: Material improperly stacked
on trailer moving through narrow passageway.
Rx: Loaded trailers should be inspected to see that there are no pieces of
material extending beyond the actual
width of the trailer. When moving
through a congested area with such a
load, employees should use much caution and prevent any contact with men
or equipment and use a spotter. Employees working on scaffold should
never be on the stand without a guard
rail. Although the accident was caused
by bumping of the trailer, the man
might not have been injured if the
guard rails had been in place.
ACCIDENT NUMBER SIX: Fitter, Grinnell, X-333 Building. Injured was descending from a seven foot scaffold. He
grasped the toe board, which came
loose, and fell five feet. Contusion of
head and fractured ribs.
CAUSE: Improper descent from scaffold.
Rx: When working on scaffold employees are urged to observe the following accident prevention measures at all
times:
1. Keep scaffold stand clear of tools
and debris.
2. Do not shove scaffold stands while
men are thereon.
3. Keep scaffold wheels locked at all
times while men are working.
4. Always use ladder when ascending or descending.
5. Never work on the stand without
guard rails-
-regardless of height.
 O	
SAFETY IS FREE
USE IT GENEROUSLY