32 SAFETY AND PRODUCTION
efficient factory has been used for many years as the probable or pos-
sible brigading of these two factors, but without much support by way
of facts. The Committee believes that the principal thesis presented
for its investigation has now been amply supported by the result of its
investigations. It is of the opinion that a positive affirmative answer
may be given to Questions 6 and 7; in other words, that there is a
positive correlation between safety and efficiency of production and, in
general, the safe factory is the efficient factory.
8. Is safety an executive responsibility? Is the key to the
new safety movement the executive?
What degree of improvement can be made in safety per-
formance? What reduction can be expected in the costs
of industrial accidents?
The information secured was under a pledge of secrecy. That is,
the Committee guaranteed not to reveal the identity of any firm
which furnished data. The captions of the charts and tables are so
written as to render identification impossible. However, the firms
whose experience is given in Table I-A are in the main recognized
as outstanding among American industries. Almost without excep-
tion they are nationally known and credited with having progressive
management.
This being so. we have in combination an increase in production,
decrease in accidents, and excellent management. It, therefore, seems
reasonable to believe that the production and accident records are ac-
complished by the same agency—that is, by the intelligent, progres:
TABLE 1-F
DECREASES IN THE RATES OF PRODUCTION ACCOMPANIED BY DECREASES IN BOTH THE
ACCIDENT FREQUENCY AND ACCIDENT SEVERITY RATES FOR 5 INDUSTRIAL GROUPS
WITH 7,754 EMPLOYEES
[ndustrial groups
Boilers. .......ccoovunt
Boots and Shoes. .......
Gas. cove
Paints and Varnish......
Plywood. .
Num-
er of
com- |
panies!
3
3
7
Length
of
experi-
ence
in
years
3
5
3
2
Per cent
Number decrease
| of in
employees! produc-
tion
2,623
1,681
2,278
599
663
12.6
3.2
8.1
6.4
1.0
Per cent
decrease
in
accident
fre-
quency
31.9
32.6
23.6
45.5
6.7
Per cent
decrease
in
accident
severity
41.9
75.1
61.1
75.5
18.7