H—l.l.

The significant figures are contained in the fourth column. Kecovery has been rapid from the wartime influences of excessive overtime and replacement of skilled staff by inexperienced directed labour, but the pre-war position has not yet been regained, the main causes probably being high labour turnover in many factories, shortage of skilled staff, pressure of production, the number of new enterprises and firms notifying accidents for the first time. It might be said that the status quo is roughly being maintained. But this is not enough. Factory Inspectors and other safety experts agree that most accidents are preventable. There are still too many industrial accidents in New Zealand and a great deal more attention must be paid to this problem. (5) The Department proposes to tackle the problem with increasing vigour. In the past year factory occupiers were served with 279 requisitions for the guarding of dangerous machines, compared with 130 in the year before. This is in addition to action taken by Inspectors of Machinery employed by the Marine Department. Moreover, a research project into the techniques of accident prevention is under way, and it is hoped within the next twelve months to be able to commence making material on the subject available to industry and in other ways to conduct an active programme of safety education. (6) Details of factory accidents in 1948 by age-groups and causes are contained in Tables XY and XVI of the Appendix. There were 13 fatal accidents in 1948 (8 in 1947), as follows : A worker, who was standing on wet ground in hob-nailed boots operating a concrete-mixer at a brickworks, was electrocuted. A worker employed at a fertilizer-works died as a result of injuries received when he collided with a rake of trucks as he ran out of a building. A worker at a sawmill died as a result of being crushed by a heavy log which rolled sideways on the skids when it was being hauled. A freezing-works employee working on the roof of a building slipped and fell through the asbestos sheeting on to the concrete floor 20 ft. below. A worker at a timber-mill was jammed between a log and the wall when winching the log into position. A brickworks employee was suffocated under clay in a hopper. There were no witnesses, but it is assumed that he was attempting to clear the hopper when he slipped and fell on to the conveyor, which dragged him under the clay. A building labourer on a construction job was electrocuted while operating a concrete-mixer. An employee at a joinery-factory was struck in the stomach by a piece of timber which caught in a circular saw, and died two days later of peritonitis. A worker was killed at a paper mill when a reel of paper became detached'from an electric hoist and fell on him. A worker was killed by a fall of lime in an old bin at a lime-works. A tiler was loading a tiled slab on to a truck when he slipped on the wet surface of the tray and fell from the truck, the heavy tiled slab falling on him. An employee at a dried-milk factory collapsed and died while lifting 1 cwt. cases 3 ft. on to a roller conveyor. A worker tending a rock-crusher at a fertilizer-works was clearing the screen with a rod when he lost his grip of the rod which fell against the screen. In order to retrieve it he climbed over the guard, and his clothing became caught in the driving shaft. (f) Overtime Work in Factories (1) Overtime by Women. —Section 20 (2) (c) of the Factories Act, 1946, was amended by section 16 of the Statutes Amendment Act, 1948. The position now is that women over sixteen may, with the permission of Inspectors, work overtime for up to 90 hours & year (maximum 3 hours a day and 9 hours a week), but in special circumstances this period may be extended by an Inspector's warrant by a further 30 hours. The voluntary working of further additional hours not exceeding 80 in any year may be •permitted by the Minister in his discretion and subject to any conditions he may prescribe as to medical examination, provision of meals, and other amenities. The effect •of these amendments is to increase the possible overtime which may be worked by women in any year from 150 to 200 hours, but the last 80 hours is entirely voluntary and

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