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The leading causes of injuries are falls and falling objects. Motor vehicles —whether tractors on the farm or forklift trucks within plant gates—account for the largest single category of fatalities. The number of deaths and disabilities caused by work-related illness is harder to gauge because the effects may not appear for years. Lamp-industry workers of the '40s are still dying from berylliosis, a lung disease brought on by exposure to beryllium, a lightweight metal used for coating fluorescent lighting tubes. Similarly, workers who inhale tiny, indestructible fibers of asbestos as they are blown into place for insulation can contract lung cancer more than two decades later. Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital, an expert in asbestos-related illness, predicts that 40% of today's 36,000 insulation installers could eventually die of cancer as a result of their work.
Goats' Bladders. The industrial safety problem goes back to prehistoric man, who not only cut himself with axes while skinning bison but developed fatal anthrax from contact with the animal's hide. Roman metal workers wore face masks made from goats' bladders to protect themselves from dust and lead fumes. Recent technological advances have brought new hazards faster than old ones have been controlled. Manufacturers have long since stopped using mercury in the production of men's hats, thus eliminating the "hatter's shakes" disease that may well have accounted for the peculiar behavior of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Until the problem was brought under control recently, other garment workers faced a potential health danger from inhaling fumes from the formaldehyde contained in permanent-press fabrics. According to an official government compilation, U.S. workers are exposed to no fewer than 182 "hazardous agents," ranging from acetaldehyde (used in making mirrors) to zirconium compounds (used in manufacturing deodorants). Even secretaries who handle office duplicating machines may contract dermatitis, a skin inflammation caused by sensitivity to solvents and vapors, which has become the leading source of medical complaint in industry.
The unimpressive U.S. record of industrial safety arises mainly from neglect. The subject enjoys a low priority in a nation more concerned with war and peace, civil strife and inflation. Management and union indifference, split jurisdiction and bickering among enforcement agencies and gaps in protective laws all contribute to the problem. When it comes to establishing and enforcing safety standards, the Federal Government is largely limited to jobs under public contract. The Department of Transportation handles railroad safety. Conditions in the coal fields are the responsibility of the Interior Department's Bureau of Mines. Occupational safety researchers for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare test hearing losses suffered on the job, but can do nothing about muffling the excessive noise that can cause such losses. The U.S. Public Health Service is empowered to inspect toilets, but not machinery that may cause workers to become sick.