The series of cases on which this survey is based comes from a steel mill employing about 8,000 men. It consists of furnaces, open hearth and Bessemer, rolling mills and the various coordinating departments.
The medical and "safety first" departments were organized in this mill about twelve years ago. Before this time serious cases were sent to the hospital, and minor injuries were treated by a watchman or clerk. The equipment for the care of injured employees consisted of a few litters, bandages and such drugs as the layman in charge thought most efficient. Eye cases were handled in the same haphazard manner. Foreign bodies were removed by a fellow employee. Such a thing as organized "safety" work was unknown. When these departments were organized, the greatest trouble was to educate the men as to the value of the various means taken to prevent accidents. With difficulty the men were
VAN KIRK VE. INDUSTRIAL OPHTHALMOLOGY: A SURVEY OF TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND CASES. JAMA. 1922;79(12):951–956. doi:10.1001/jama.1922.02640120025009
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