1942: Workmen's Compensation

The tempo of war-time production has placed an added responsibility upon management, labor, and the Government to reduce the loss of manpower and the waste of time arising from industrial accidents. Because of the increased army of women workers as well as non-industrial workers who have entered the army of war production, the actual industrial accident rate has increased.

In 1941 there were 19,200 deaths due to industrial accidents, and 100,000 permanent impairments. There were 2,060,400 temporary disabilities. A total of 42,083,000 days of work were lost during the year. Six industries were responsible for the highest rate of industrial accidents:

(1) Iron and steel — estimated — 74,300 disabilities with a loss of 7,000,000 man-days.

(2) Lumber — estimated — 66,800 disabilities with a loss of 7,250,000 man-days.

(3) Machinery — 56,600 injuries with a loss of 4,500,000 man-days.

(4) Food production — 45,200 injuries with a loss of 3,500,000 man-days.

(5) Textile — 45,200 injuries with a loss of not quite 3,000,000 man-days.

(6) Transportation equipment — 37,500 injuries with a loss of 4,500,000 man-days.

(7) Stone, clay-glass — 20,600 injuries with a loss of 2,000,000 man-days.

In June 1940 the Secretary of Labor created the National Committee for the Conservation of Manpower in War Industries. Its principal objective was to sponsor and supervise plans whereby every industrial establishment operating under Government contract would have available, without cost, information and expert service to assist it in developing safety programs designed to:

(1) Prevent the maiming, killing, and injuring of trained workers essential to industries engaged in war production.

(2) Prevent the loss of valuable production time on the part of workers through sickness, accidental injury, and occupational disease.

(3) Prevent disruption of and delays to production schedules, damage to machines and equipment, and wastage of materials which follow in the wake of accidents.

(4) Control, insofar as possible, all environmental factors which may render the worker less fit for the job of maintaining quantity and quality production.

There were few legislative changes in the field of workmen's compensation in 1942. The State Supreme Court of Ohio held valid special compensation schedules for silicosis as one of twenty-two specific occupational diseases. The state of Rhode Island passed a compulsory health insurance law to go into operation Apr. 1, 1943. This provided needed cash compensation for unemployment caused by the worker's sickness disability. It does not provide medical care. The act is to be administered by the state unemployment compensation board.

Because of the labor shortage a series of experiments encouraging the use of the physically handicapped in war industry were initiated. The State Department of Education of Connecticut organized several rehabilitation clinics in an attempt to salvage the physically handicapped for war production. Potential employers were invited to visit the clinics to ascertain what special jobs could be filled by the physically handicapped with a degree of special training.