Needless Hazards in the Coal Industry

Moreover, one may point out, as did a leading statistician before the National Safety Council last month, that More disturbing than the appallingly greater fatality rate is the fact that the relative fatality rates, though fluctuating rather widely, show on the whole a decided increase.'1 But in the United States the coal seams are in general much thicker and more accessible and we employ more and larger machinery. Naturally our output per man employed is greater. This has suggested the apologists for our shameful fatality record that we should measure our fatality rate by output in tons rather than by the number of human beings killed per thousand of full time workers. I am glad note that the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry-a statistician of international reputation-has branded this suggestion to measure deaths and disabilities of workers on a tonnage basis as utterly erroneous and bad statistics. 2 Dr. Meeker properly adds

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