xt7kh12v6014_690 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kh12v6014/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kh12v6014/data/2008ms006.dao.xml Benham Coal Mines. (Benham, Ky.) 151.0 Cubic feet 302 Boxes The Benham Coal Company records (151 cubic feet, 302 Boxes; dated 1911-1973) focus primarily on the early years of Benham Coal through the 1940s, including office files, Employee Benefits Association records, files on accidents and safety, and photographs. archival material English University of Kentucky This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed.  Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically.  Physical rights are retained by the owning repository.  Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws.  For information about permissions to reproduce or publish, contact the Special Collections Research Center. Benham Coal Company Records African American coal miners--Kentucky--Harlan County Coal miners--Kentucky--Harlan County Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region--History. Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Benham--History Company towns--Kentucky--Benham 1956-1957 text 1956-1957 2015 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kh12v6014/data/2008ms006/2008ms006_154/2008ms006_154_3/57962/57962.pdf 1956-1957 1957 1956-1957 section false xt7kh12v6014_690 xt7kh12v6014 A N 0 T H E I R _
Accident Report Circular No. M8
I January 19, 1956
TO ALL HARVESTER SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL:
"And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel, thy brother? And
he said, I know not, Am 1 my brother's keeper?" Genesis U:9
Without a doubt the closing quotation in Piesident McCaffrey's safety letter for 1956
"BE YOUR BROTHER*S KEEPER Q G U STOP ACC1DEKT#“ was prompted by the above bible quo-
tation. Yes, we all have a job to do to fulfill this obligation. While our overall
safety performance for 1955 has shown an improvement over recent years, this has been
overshadowed by a bad start in our 1956 safety year. lt is hoped that every works
will redouble its efforts in accident prevention activities during the coming months
in order to overcome this setback and not only equal but improve on last year's per-
formance.
The following accidents should be reviewed with all concerned, checked for possible
occurrence at your plant and then, together with their prevention, given wide publi-
city so that similar incidents will not occur in the future.
FATAL CASE
Although most of you have heard of the fatality which occurred on the first day of
out 1956 safety year, in order to make sure that all members of supervision are
familiar with the facts we are including the report in this accident circular.
T.P—"..~¤.T.@~iil@.>iri2s§
Etezaelcirziasies rbieh ar.e,veQ.cfaeal - Ge Deeemeee 27; 1955, e fereine eree e¤ ehe
second shift (consisting of two hammermen, a heater and two helpers) were blocking,
punching, forging and trimming large bevel gears from lO8—lb, billetsq Two of the
crew (a hammerman and his helper with l2·years of forging experience) were operat-
ing an SOOO-lbc hammer and a trimmer press, forging and trimming the gears. It was
the helper’s job to remove the finished forging from the edge of the die block with
a pair of M—foot-long tongs suspended from an overhead trolley after the forging
had been positioned there by the hammerman and he had stepped back out of the way
for its removal, For some reason, however, the helper reached for the forging at
the same time the hammerman was striking it, resulting in the ram hitting the tongs
and forcing them back, one of the handles penetrating his abdomen, He was taken to
the dispensary on a stretcher where he received first aid, then sent to the hospi-
tal where he later diedo
This type of accident is one which causes many of us to ask: Why would anyone be
prompted to attempt such an act? Perhaps we shall never know, However, it does
highlight the major problem in accident prevention: the human element. May we again
remind you that greater emphasis must be placed by all of us on making sure that
our employes realize their responsibility in thinking safety and working safely on
whatever job assignments they may have¤l..HMH
EP-135-8. A·9. Printed in United States of America

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Ampgtation gf end_of_right ripg_finger - A hydraulic press operator and his helper
were forming hoods*on”a—form, blank and split die, leaving e piece of scrap in the
middle between the two halves of the die. After the cycle was completed, the
helper removed one hood half and the operator the other; then when the helper was
removing the scrap with a pair of tongs, a piece caught in one of the halves.
Thinking that it might remain in the die, he reached in with his gloved hand be~
tween the upper and the lower die while the stripper (or hold~down ring) was re-
turning to position after the press stopped, Before he could remove the scrap and
clear his hand, he caught his finger between the stripper and the trim section of
the die.
The corrective action here is obvioust All press room employes were informed of
this accident and cautioned regarding the plant rule cf never placing the hands
between dies, which is posted prominently in the department,
FORT WAYNE_WORKS
‘"gsts;;“zeatss§ap of left lower leg and sprain of foot — A washer operator was work~
1H§"BhT§`EEsh"méEhEné located about 15 feet from the main aisle and adjacent to a
narrow service aisle for employee' use only. As a fork truck operator using this
narrow aisle backed up with his load past the wash machine, the washer operator
stepped back into the aisle and was struck in the left leg by the truck's right
rear wheel.
Supervision and all truckers operating in the area have been instructed that such
trucking in narrow aisles will be prohibited.
(There are many such aisles in our works which are designated as feeder aisles for
battery—operated hand trucks and for employes’ use only, A survey should be made
of such aisles at each plant and signs hung to so designate them,...HlEU
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e¤is¤*aa#.is;>..2i`-.aa}.€ sf., alert.     fE?.€*?}%?F;’.$.,9l€ §.i;e%.._S_s;¤s.re¤r¤¤ and new with ¤¤¤¤<>¤ Bm Mci? iaielre
asa?- .¤2.a@.. .€r;2.1aies ..25 - 1<=f};..¤ap©laé¤E. li*?ii€"f mnéer i   "é?i?¤?i€?` ?>E??¥r€%€f* `=¢Y1Y¤¤"Y5?f the
power on his machine to_check and correct the Eadse of a noise made by the pulley
V-belts. While the pulley and beltswere still coasting, he placed his left hand
through a small opening in the guard between the guard and the V—belts to check
them, and his left hand was suddenly caught between the belts and the pulley. He
said later that he thought the pulley had stopped revolving.
The guard was properly designed for covering the pulley and the motor sheave.
(The operator should not have attempted to make the adjustment himself but should
have reported the condition to his foreman so that authorized persons could have
performed the work required....HMH)
ll¥.U&??~UKE.}l .@§l§§
 £j;deft index finger - Two laborers were engaged in cleaning
sand hoppers in the foundry ears ;ssa,‘taas of them was operating the lifting A
mechanism of a high—lift—type battcry—operated hand truck to raise a specially
designed platform, with guardrails and props, five feet above the floor level to
facilitate cleaning the hoppers. While it was being raised, the other laborer
attempted to place a board onto the platform to be used during the process of
cleaning, He placed his left hand against the upright column of the transporter
and his finger was caught between the riding guide and the stop in the column.
The injured employe and others who use this equipment have been recautioned to be
more observant and to keep their hands away from movnig machinery.
W.¥.el?.Ql?§.El§fiEEi;¥+_l'_O§§.§
Eragtprewjglgéght leg ~ A maintenance painter finished painting a section of wall
inside the by~products buildnig and wanted to gain access to a higher scaffold set
up several feet away for another sectionu Instead of descending the ladder to the
floor from the portable metal scaffold he was working on and walking over to the
other scaffold and ascending the ladder attached to it, he chose to climb onto an
overhead pi_eline and manuever himself to the higher scaffoldn In so doing, he
held onto an angle iron between two pipes, which was bolted on one end only, and
the angle gave way, he lost his balance and fell to the floor below, a distance of
l3% rear.
Obviously the injured should have used the ladders provided for safe access to the
scaffolds.,..HMH

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Crushing injuries”to right hip - Three electrical department employes were checking
the bridge controldcirchitncnwthe blooming mill l5—ton crane. The crane operator
had left the crane and, upon returning, called out to ask whether he could board it
safely and heard a voice say "OiK." As he started to board the crane, it moved and
he was pinned against a building columnc The "O.K." he heard was from a motor
inspector helper at the bridge control cabinet, answering the motor inspector who
was in the crane cageo None of the inspectors had seen the craneman approach nor
heard him ask permission to board the crane.
(While the Steel Works crane problems and operating conditions are somewhat differ~
ent from those of our other works, the following action taken to prevent recurrence
should be of interest to all of usr It shows to what extent we can go to prevent
accident potentials that might exist on a job where the human element is involved.)
Safety switches are being installed on all cranes which, when pulled, will make the
bridge inoperative. The switches are being located so that employes boarding ,
cranes can pull them from the runway and close them when they are safely on the
crane.
* * * * * * * *
What might be termed "wrapping up an accident" occurred to two long—service employes
at two of our plantsn At the one plant a drill press operator was wiping oil from
his hands with a wiper while in close proximity to the revolving chuck holding a tap,
when the chuck suddenly caught the wiper and drew his hand against the tap, causing
multiple laceraticns of his right little finger, At the other works a combination
lathe and radial drill press operator out his finger on the sharp edge of a crank-
shaft while handling it. The out was small, so instead of reporting to the dispeng
sary, he wrapped a wiper around his left hand and continued working. While center~
ing a crankshaft on the radial drill press, the wiper caught on the chuck and pulled
his hand around it, this time causing many lacerations of his finger,
The corrective action is obvious in both casesu
HARD HAT PAYS OFF AGAIN!
MEA MP. L.} I. 3 ‘si9§3ES§
§kin_abragion"pn_left_shgBlder - While an employe was welding in a stooped position
a millwright, working overhead, lost his hold on a piece of §“x2"x2"xl8’ angle iron
(weight 57 lbsa) when it was in a vertical position with one end on the floors As
it fell its full length, the opposite end struck the welder's hat on the left side
and grazed his left shoulder. The hat had two heavy impressions on it resulting
from the blow, but the employe‘s head was not injured and he did not lose any time
from work.
EYE SAVED CASES
To date there have been 173 eye saved cases reported for last year. Undoubtedly
there were many more which did not come to the attention of supervision or the
safety departments. The goggle programs at the various works are getting nearer the
lOO percent coverage goal we are attempting to achieve. We can and will make this
goal if we continue our efforts. Below are several unusual cases which have been
reported recently:
A die repairman at one of our works was grinding a spot on a forge die, using a
portable pneumatic grinder equipped with a 6—inch plastic~bonded grinding wheel.

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He was grinding on the flat surface of the top die, when the wheel "exploded“ and
disintegrated, and numerous small particles pock»marked his entire face and goggle
lenses. We are reasonably·sure that had this employe been working without his
goggles he would have lost both of his eyesn
An employe at another works was coming out of the office door when a passing lift
truck ran over a roofing nail on the floor, which flipped up from under one of the
tires and struck the right lens cf his safety glasses. Although the lens was
cracked, there was no injury to his eye;
At another works a foundry employe opened the cupcla tap hole and the general fore-
man came up to observe the molten metal, when suddenly there was a slight explosion
for some unknown reason and the iron boiled up (temperature 2lOOO) and some of it
hit the right lens of his calobar safety glasses, While the lens was cracked the
entire diameter of the glass, his eye was saved.
At still another works a foundry employe was removing a plug from the air cylinder
of a core blowing machine in preparation to oilingc He had shut off the main sup-
ply of air but failed to open the bleeder valve on the cylinder, and as he
unscrewed the plug, it blew out, striking the right lens of his spectacle—type
goggles, shattering it, No injury was incurred, however, and again the value of
wearing safety goggles was proved,
An employe in the materials control department of the last works was sitting at
his desk while two employes of the maintenance department were removing the metal
strips which hold down the edges of the linoleum, The small nails which hold down
the strips also had to be removed by placing a prying tool under the strip and
nail head, and one of the nails suddenly came loose and struck the lens of his
safety glasses with enough force that, if he had not been wearing his glasses, his
eye could have been severely injured,
EYE LOST CASE
While the above attests the value of a good eye protection program, unfortunately
there sometimes is a sad side to a story.` There was an eye lost case reported dur~
ing the past year which occurred to an iron pourer in one of our foundries. Because
of conflicting statements brought out in the investigation, the cause of the acci~
dent can only be assumed,
It is believed that the employe was shaking out castings (not pouring iron) when he
got a hot metal burn on his right eye, resulthngin loss of vision. Because he had
the habit of wearing his goggles on his forehead when not pouring, it was felt that
his glasses were not over his eyes at the time of the accident,
Supervision have since tightened up on the goggle rule to the extent of verbal and
written reprimands to non~compliers,
,

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SAFETY SECTION { . .
` EDUCATION AND PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT
INTERNATIONAL  
HARVESTER g
COMPANY E Accident Report Circular No. M9
E February 21, 1956
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49* C _ I C _ 3 A- .;   C I     I   l)T(3U8Il[lOTl/
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I
TO ALL HARVESTER SUPERVISORY PERSONNEL:
As you read the details of the following reports you will notice how frequently
human failure is the main cause of an accidento It is agreed that detecting mental
stress (a hidden hazard) is sometimes very difficult and requires close observation
on our part; however we should be on the alert for such signs and try to do some·
thing about them te preclude potential accidents,
Again we ask that the following cases be reviewed with all concerned and the neees~
sary preventive measures taken where there is a possibility of occurrence or recur-
rence at your operations
·E..A...ST.&®l1?·E WQBKS
Amputati§§;of`§nd_bone_of right indeg_finger — A press brake operator with three
a駧” experience on this particularAjob_was*bending 3/l6-inch stock, 3 inches long
and 3 inches wide on one end and tapered down to one inch on the ether; The
pieces were greasy, and he claimed that as he positioned one between the dies and
against the back gauges, his fingers slid along the top of it as the bend was made,
and his index finger was caught between the stock and the upper die.
Investigation revealed that the stock had been turned sideways between two 3/U—inch
bar stock back gauges, causing his finger to enter the point of operationr A solid
back gauge was provided immediately and the supervision concerned instructed to use
such gauges wherever possible, and in all cases where small parts are involved.
HAMILTON WORKS
Qrushing amputation of tip of left indeg finger ~ A press brake operator was form-
ing_right—angle bends on—heavy gan§E`stoE§I“`§E made one bend lh inches long and
about B inches wide, then reversed the position of the stock on the press to bend
the opposite end. As the second bend was being made, he held the stock against
the stop gauge with both hands on each side of the end already bent, which was
forced upward, and the tip of his left index finger was crushed between the stock
and the upper bolster, He claimed that his grip was with his middle finger and
thumb, with his index finger riding free.
Investigation revealed that the employe had previously spent time adjusting the
stop gauge and was attempting to make up this lost timer
The employe has been reinstructed to be more observant when positioning his hands
on stock while bending it in the press,
(It is recommended that in plants having press brakes the following be considered
on such operations because of the hazard potential: use of tongs; solid back
gauges that extend a reasonable height above the stock being formed to prevent
riding over the gauge; stock rest in front for long pieces; two-hand controls;
sliding feed with handle; and magnetic back gauges to held stock ..°. HMH)
EP—7-F. I-3. LxrRacRAPI»Is¤ IN ururzm SYATES or AMERICA

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Ml;L€QE’£*.€iE?.¤ii£`.l€Ylt.$i’.?.P*}ElF?I` wdraii§§aaaa..ia.iy2-¢fi;>sarS <>f rmt ham; — A bmk€¤¤¤¤
was standing onethe bottom rung ofla ladder on the_side_ofma—steel—gondola railroad
car of a train being moved along the yard tracks by a Company locomotive, when his
right shoulder struck a high railroad switch standard, knocking him off the car and
to the groundh
Investigation revealed that recently one section of the tracks had to be relocated
to provide service to the drill department while a new building addition to the
warehouse was under construction and vegy little claarance was left between it and
the nigh switch standard which was port of an acgoining track Those responsible
fer the cperation had not noted the haxard when the relocat on was comyieted, and
the brakanan revealed later that we has had a previous close call because of this
condition but had failed to inform his supervisorq
The switch standard has since been relocated so that the proper clearance is pro-
vided and the few remaining high standard switches will be replaced with the new
low type, Employes have been reinstructed to report such hazards to their foreman
immediatelyc
(ATTENTION ALL WORKS SAFETY SUPERVISORS: Since many works have made or are under-
going such changes as this, it might be well to make another survey regarding suf-
ficient clearance for men riding on sides of cars, and where there is not enough
clearance, to see that this is properly posted ..(, HMH)
LOUISVILLE WORKS
Eracture”of left cheek_bone_and laceration - While attempting to check a small
l5-lb. CO2tank“Zused—in an·e§perimentalAhore-making process) to determine whether
it was full or empty (l35O lbsr pressure when full), a core room employe pushed the
control lever of the tank to the "ON" position without holding the hose attached to
it, The tank was full, the hose unexpectedly whipped under pressure, and a metal
fitting on the hose struck him across the left cheeka Undoubtedly this accident
was caused from not being familiar with the hazards involved in releasing CO2
pressure without holding onto the hose;
Plant Protection has since instructed all employes handling such tanks in their
safe handling procedureu
MANUFACTQRING RESEARCH
haate.r;2.f.lé."f P is fears aa<1.2.¤¤i¤si¤1nJa.ah¤¤1<1<>n_a.rai.aar¤¤>r· with 33
years of service was blankimg ball ¤e¤r;¤g`rcr§i5err from slugs, feeding the press
with his loft hand, using small tweezersc He positioned a slug in the die, actua~
tod the gress, and failed to get his hand cut from between the dies as_the ram
descended, catching the tip of his left middle finger. Investigation revealed
that a stock slide in front of the die was too short, enabling the operator to
place his heads in the toint of operation, (Operator makes his own setnnt)
Corrective action resulted in a longer stock slide to keep the operator}: homie
farther away from the dieso This die and other dies perfcrming similar operations
will he provided with a guard; also censideratlen is being given to an in~feed
mechanism which will eliminate handling the slugsr
(It is strongly recommended that all works safety supervisors review with those
concerned the adequacy cf the die awarding program in the press shops at their
works to ensure that all precautions have been taxon to protect tie operatoro’
hendsv Other items to consider ara: tongs of proper length, twe~h2nd controls on
presses, etc,;., BME)
  CEQIN   liQl%K$
 oth §eetmand_lewer legs — A straightening machine operator
was using an onezhead ciane to tran;fel?d·tundle of strei€htened steel bars from a
narrow gauge car to a pile on the floor, when the creneman rositiened the crane
hook over the bundle, the operator observed thit a M~le;ged cable sling with four
hook; was also hanging from it in addition to the two cable clings provided for
moving this type of bundler Knowing that tne safety rules call for only slings in
use to be on the crane hook during lifts, he siknallei the oraneyan to lower the
hook in order to remove the U~leg;eJ sling, regnesting him several times to do this
but to no ovailn Finally, he slung the handle and signalled for the lift. Three
attempts were made to lift the bundle from the car, and each tine one of the hooks
on the M—legged sling caught and lifted the car, a;d each time the eraneoan would
lower the hook again? Cn the fonrth attempt the bundle lifted clear. The opera—
tor then signalled for a mcve to the designated tile approximately six feet high.
The bundle was lowered and the ogerdtor ascended the tile and removed the slings.
While he was descending; the craneman started to raise the crane hook without
waiting for the operator's signal and one of the hocks on the M·le;ged sling caught
the edge of one of the bundles, causing it to fell from the pile and catch the
operator‘s leger
The oraneman was discharged for violation of safety relesq
s w s e e s % s s
The following are two cases of employee' failure to properly shut down their machines
before making adjustments and indicate our need of constant follow—up, Short cuts,
such as these, lead to accidents and must not be tolerated-
 
npédtationmef_endMo£_ri;ht;ngjdlg_finger - A milling machine operator with 8 menths’
experience disengaged the clutch on his mill, oyoned the feed gear box cover, and
before the gears had come to a zomplete stop, proceeded to change them, catching
his right middle finger between the driver and the driven gears, Investigation
revealed that he had been running the machine feed at ld} F.P,M, and at the end of
his shift was attempting to change the feed back to the specified lhh F,P°M. in
accordance with the time studyr
This employe was reprimanded and reinstructed to always close the master control
switch before making adjustments of any kind.

 -5-
WEdT rULLNAN_WORKS
`"AHBu%E£€E£"6?"E£a of right little finger - K milling machine operator with 7 Yearc'
6§§eEléEEé"E§EEEE7thE`§E5}"ET the gas; box on her mill to check the gear ratio
according to the time study chart for running the job. She shut off the power on
the machine, and before the gears come to a complete stop, reached for a gear to
check it and caught her little finger between two gears.
This operator had no authorization to open the gear box or make any changes; this
was the setup man's responsibility and she should have reported any difficulty to
him. All employes concerned with such operations have since been reinstrucfed not
to attempt adjustments of this kind; only the setup man is to make the adjustments.
* * r * * * * * * *
The following are brief accounts of some of the accidents incurred recently by new
employes. It is obvious that closer observation and frllow—up must be maintained by
supervision after thorough instruction has been given the employe on the safe operat—
ing procedures of his job. . . "Give the new man a helping hand. Remember you were
green once yourself." These words auyear as the final appeal at the close of the
safety handbooks issued to employes at several vf our ogerutions. Action in this
direction certainly should not be neglected.
At one plant an aroor press operator with 6 weeks' service was pressing an arbor
onto a gear, when the gear slip»ed off the press. In stepping back so that it
wculdn't hit him, he actuated the foot pedal, causing the press ram to descend
and fracture the end of his left index finger between the arbor and tie ram. A
drift pin, with a handle attached tw keep the hand? from under the ram, is provided
for pressing arbors in and out of gears but the operator was nut using it at the
time.
Supervision have been recautioned to enforce the use of safety tolls provided for
such jobs.
A Foster—matic lathe operator at this same plant, also with ( weeks‘ service,
claimed that when he put a piece in the chuck and pulled the chuck jaw closing
lever, the lathe started up, fracturing ard lacerating his thumb between the table
and the chuck. lnvestigation revealed that he pulled the spindle starting lever
instead of the chuck closing lever, as the piece being chucled was found lying in
the machine with tne chuck jaws in the open posit on.
At another works an 8~spindle Cleveland hobher machine operator with a week's
experience started his machine to warm it up before hcbbing any pieces. During the
warming-up period he decided to change cutters cn the spindle and put a wrench on
the arbor nut, then to loosen the nut he engaged the clutch lever to hold the hob
on the spindle. Undoubtedly he forgot that he had the power on and the wrench
‘ handle spun against the clutch housing on the next station, catching his left
middle finger between the wrench and the housing and partially amputating it.
A punch press operator with 3 days' experience on the nightshift at another plant
was punching l5 holes in strip stock (EQXQ/B"x2G-3/M") by moving the piece through
three positions on the die while hold