Industrial accidents and loss of earning power: German experience in 1897 and 1907, by Henry J. Harris, Ph. D.: Summary... Special investigations of accidents.. Scope of the investigation..... Sex and age of the injured persons.. Month of the year........ Day of the week.... Paga 1-3 3, 4 4-96 5-8 8-14 15-18 18-33 18-22 23-27 Hour of the day.... 27-33 Nature of the injuries sustained by the workmen... 34-43 Length of time the injured person was employed in the establish ment and in the occupation...... 44-48 Length of time the injured person had been at work on the day of the accident...... 49-51 Causes of accidents.. 52-60 Proportion of accidents due to the fault of the employer, of the 60-65 Result of the injuries............. 66-82 Duration of disability and loss of earning power............. 83-96 Workmen's compensation and insurance: Laws and bills, 1911, by Lindley Tentative draft of a bill by the National Civic Federation.. 132 132-144 144-151 151-170 151-156 156-165 165-170 171-181 171-175 175-181 III 234564 Resolutions of the Sixth Delegates' Meeting of the International Association Page. Alien contract laborers-deportation-evidence (Ex parte George)....... 248, 249 249, 250 Employers' liability-departments of labor-construction of statute 251-273 273-275 Employers' liability-fellow-servant law-nature of liability—inju- 276-278 279, 280 281 Employers' liability-railroad companies street railways-construction of statute (Conover v. Public Service Railway Co.)...... Employers' liability-railroads-Federal statute-jurisdiction of State and Federal courts-interstate commerce-construction of statute (Colasurdo v. Central Railroad of New Jersey)............. 281-285 Hours of labor of employees on railroads-Federal statute-time on duty (United States v. Illinois Central Railroad Co.)..... Mine regulations-inspection-good faith as defense against liability for injury (Aetitus v. Spring Valley Coal Co.)....... Picketing police power-municipal regulations (Ex parte Williams). 288, 289 Decisions under common law.... 285 .... 286-288 Boycott-injunction-labor organizations as parties-interference 289-307 289-291 Employer and employee-injury to third person by employee-lia- 296-299 299-301 Employers' liability-safe place to work-act of foreman (Campbell Labor organizations-identity-transfer of affiliation-effect on rights 301, 302 Strike insurance-representations-construction of policy-indem- 302-307 OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR. No. 92. WASHINGTON. January, 1911. INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND LOSS OF EARNING POWER: GERMAN EXPERIENCE IN 1897 AND 1907. BY HENRY J. HARRIS, PH. D. SUMMARY. In order to indicate the lines on which measures for the prevention of industrial accidents and for the medical treatment of injured workmen may be directed, the Imperial Insurance Office of Germany makes a practice of publishing, at 10-year intervals, special studies of the industrial accidents compensated under the national accident insurance system for workmen. Some of the facts brought out by the study of the industrial accidents compensated in the year 1907 may be briefly summarized as follows: The information relates only to serious industrial accidentsnamely, those resulting either in disability lasting longer than 13 weeks or in death-which were compensated in the year 1907. The much larger number of accidents causing disability of shorter duration is not included. Expressed in terms of workmen who had been employed 300 days in the year, the number of persons included in this study was 8,600,000. About one workman out of every 100 received injuries causing serious disability or death, the average rate being 9.44 per 1,000 fulltime workmen. In the period 1897 to 1907 there has been A decrease in the rate for accidents causing death. A decrease in the rate for accidents causing total permanent disability. A decrease in the rate for accidents causing partial permanent disability. A marked increase in the rate for accidents causing temporary disability lasting longer than 13 weeks. Workmen employed in teaming, hauling, etc., have the highest accident rate; workmen engaged in the tobacco industry have the lowest. Arranged in order, the highest coming first, the following 10 industry groups show the highest accident rates: Teaming and hauling, flour milling, mining, quarrying, woodworking, brewing, engineering construction, inland navigation, iron and steel, and express and storage. Arranged in order, the lowest coming first, the following 10 industry groups show the lowest accident rates: Tobacco, clothing, textiles, printing, pottery, paper, glass, railways (private), chimney sweeping, and marine navigation. The accident rate for males is higher than the rate for females. Injuries to workmen occur with some uniformity throughout the various months of the year, with a slightly higher rate in October. Workmen are injured more frequently on Monday forenoon and on Saturday afternoon than during the rest of the week. Workmen are injured more frequently in the latter part of the forenoon and in the latter part of the afternoon than during the rest of the day. Of the 81,248 workmen injured, about 5 per cent were injured during the first hour that they were at work, 8.6 per cent were injured during the second hour, 9.2 per cent during the third hour, 11.3 per cent during the fourth hour, and 12.2 per cent during the fifth hour, the highest for the day; for the rest of the working day the percentage is irregular. Workmen are injured most frequently by fractures, contusions, etc., and these injuries occur most frequently to the arms and legs. Workmen are injured more frequently if they have been employed in an establishment for but a short period of time; considering only the first year of the workman's employment in an establishment, those employed a shorter period of time are injured more frequently than those employed for a longer period. Workmen are injured more frequently if they have been employed in an occupation for but a short period of time; considering only the first year of the workman's employment in an occupation, those employed for a shorter period of time are injured more frequently than those employed for a longer period. Workmen are injured most frequently by working machinery (presses, lathes, looms, etc.); arranged in order, the highest coming first, the five most frequent causes of injury are: First, working machinery; second, collapse, fall, etc., of materials; third, loading, unloading, etc.; fourth, falls, falling from ladders, stairs, etc.; and fifth, railway operation. Workmen receive fatal injuries most frequently from the collapse, fall, etc., of materials; arranged in order, the highest coming first, the five most frequent causes of fatal injury are: First, collapse, fall, etc., of materials; second, railway operation; third, falls, falling from ladders, stairs, etc.; fourth, inflammable, hot, or corrosive substances, etc.; and fifth, teaming, hauling, draying, etc. Of the injured workmen sustaining serious injuries, about 50 per cent were still disabled to a greater or less extent at the end of five years. Workmen injured by accidents due to the fault of fellow workmen formed 5.9 per cent, by accidents due to the fault of the employer |