SAFETY ENGINEERING, the name given to the study of methods and ap pliances for the prevention of accidents in industry. Of recent years the matter has received much attention and has pro duced a nation-wide "Safety first" cam paign. Its purpose is to reduce injury and loss of life caused by preventible accidents and it seeks first to introduce various safety devices, and secondly to educate the workers and the public to a realization of the need for greater care and thoughtfulness in a world in which the use of mechanical devices is continu ally on the increase. Contrary to gen eral belief the education of the worker is found to be far more important than the use of mechanical safety devices. In a report made by the Industrial Commis sion of Wisconsin the statement is made: "We must conclude that the great ma jority of accidents are not preventible by guards. . . . If every danger-point on every machine were perfectly guarded, making accidents upon them impossible, then we would have eliminated just about one-fourth of all accidents." In other
words, carelessness is the chief cause of accidents.
Mechanical safety devices are constant ly being introduced and are, already, countless in number. They vary from simple metal guards placed around mov ing machinery to automatic devices which prevent, for instance, the moving of an elevator until its doors have been closed; and from simple gates across a level crossing to elaborate automatic signaling devices. Safety engineering also concerns itself with the prevention and extinguish ing of fires, the provision of fire escapes, installation of safety-valves on boilers, adequate timbering and roofing of mines and tunnels, and with many other mat ters far too numerous to mention.