number of requests for advice being received by the Factory Inspectorate. The first need identified is often for an assessment of the degree of risk and measurements and observations at factories during the course of normal work with textile warping and beaming machines have been made, says the report. The measurements have concerned machine characteristics, particularly running speed, deceleration and time to stop. The observations covered safety aspects of the operations and the lay-out of machine controls. The information obtained is being made available through Joint Standing Committees and other bodies to all the various people concerned in order to improve the safety of working on these machines.

A large part of engineering research concerns the mining industry but work has been extended to projects outside this industry, says the report. These include the development of a testing rig for tall mobile cranes and of safe working platforms and associated structures to reduce the numbers of accidents by men falling from steel- work under construction,

In the field of occupational medicine the report gives an account of some of the extramural contracts carried out for the Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS), including items on the development of instruments and techniques, studies of human population exposed to hazardous substances, and the biological effects of toxic substances. The occupational medicine laboratory of RLSD at Cricklewood provides a service for EMAS offering biological monitoring methods for a range of toxic hazards. More than 29 000 samples of blood or urine were analysed by the laboratory: about 16 000 of the samples were analysed by biomechanical techniques to monitor exposure to toxic organic chemicals; the remainder were analysed to determine the concentrations of toxic elements.

Plotting limb movements

A U K developed instrument known as a polarised light goniometer is sensing limb movement patterns by means of transducers fitted to the patient, and plotting the resulting 'gait record' on a recorder. The technique has been developed by Mr D.L. Mitchelson of Loughborough University, and Crane Electronics Ltd of Atherstone, Warwickshire, has been appointed sole licensee to manufacture and sell the instrument. The system comprises the goniometer unit itself, a polarised light projector and the Bryans Southern Instruments X-Y recorder. In a typical

Plotting leg movements

demonstration of its capability, sensors are fitted to one leg of the subject, who walks in normal fashion bathed in polarised light. Relative movement of the calf and thigh will then be plotted on the recorder.

Chain saw handle vibration

One of the major problems faced by designers of hand held power tools is the effect of prolonged contact with vibrating equipment on the user's nerves and muscles. In extreme cases, nerves in the fingers deteriorate and the performance loss of muscle control and sensation can follow. (This condition is known as 'Reynaud's Disease' or 'Traumatic Vasospastic Disease').

Chain saw handle

An American company, Skil Corporation of Chicago (with a European-based subsidiary, Skil Europe, headquartered in Breda, The Netherlands) has developed a new design for the handle of its model 1616 petrol chain saw which, it claims, reduces handle vibration intensity by at least 50%. The new saw employs a thin section of Celcon acetal copolymer (marketed by the Amcel companies in Europe as Kematal) as a curved leaf spring in the rear handle. This helps to damp vibrations as they pass from the saw to the rear handle.

The rear handle assembly comprises two parts moulded in Celcon (Kematal). The upper half forms the top of the handle grip with its integral curved leaf spring section, which connects the handle to the saw body. The lower half is attached to the upper half "along the main shank of the handle, but there is clearance of some 3 mm between it and the leaf spring.

Eye protection adequacy questioned

According to a report in the November/December issue of Salety Canada, published by the Canada Safety Council, 1765 St Laurent Boulevard, Ottawa, Ontario, the eye protection now being worn by Canadian workers may be inadequate. This follows from a recent study conducted by the Canadian Standards Association, the Canada Safety Council and the Construction Safety Association of Ontario. The survey was taken in connection with the Conference on Protective Equipment (COPE '78),

60 Applied Ergonomics March 1978

in Toronto 2 3 - 2 5 January, 1978, under joint sponsorship of the three groups.

Of the 2701 respondents to the survey questionnaire, all of whom had eye injuries, 1138 or 42% were wearing protect ion at the time of their injury. 10"5% of these had the object or particle that damaged the eye penetrate the lens or body of the protector. Despite industrial safety programmes to which most workers are exposed, the survey reveals that injury rates remain significant.

Other sessions at the conference examined problems related to injuries to head, foot, ear, the respiratory system, and those resulting from falls that could have been prevented by fall-arresting systems.

Occupational health services A preliminary survey of health care

services at work provided by 3000 firms showed that 85% (employing a third of the workforce), did not employ either nurses or doctors and relied entirely on part-time first-aiders. This is stated in a discussion document Occupational Health Services: the way ahead. (HMSO, 50p) published by the Health and Safety Commission. In a substantial minori ty of other firms, the occupational health services were under day-to-day charge of a nurse.

These are two of the findings, included in the document of a survey which was carried out in 1976 by the Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS). The document, which also forms part of the Health Departments ' series of discussion papers on Preventive Medicine, presents a considered view of current problems affecting the organisation and development of occupational health services, and has been designed to meet the expressed desire of occupational health doctors and nurses for an analysis of their role.

The document has already been the subject of extensive consultation with the professional organisations principally concerned, the central government Health Departments, and with the Health and Safety Commission's own Medical Advisory Committee. It is now published so that the issues presented may be more widely discussed within the professions concerned and in organisations of employers and workpeople. Comments are invited from all who may be concerned.

According to the survey, the most common activities of the industry 's own occupational health services appear to be treatment, either of acute emergencies or minor illnesses, or pre-employment or pre-placement medical examinations and screening procedures. Only in relatively large firms with well-staffed services were the essentials of preventive medicine carried out, such as environmental

surveillance, biological monitoring, health education and rehabilitation.

Other findings include: a minori ty of doctors and nurses in industry 's occupational health services (even those employed full-time) had specialist qualifications in occupational health; the two most important factors in the establishing of an occupational health service were the size of firms and the distance from NHS facilities; the nature of the industry was less important .

One of the most far-reaching recommendations in the document is that a nurse might best be entrusted with the responsibility for organising and providing a local occupational health service, if fully qualified in the subject. A project should be promoted by EMAS to evaluate the practicabil i ty of this proposal, the document says.

Other recommendations include the encouragement of: a joint provision of occupational health services by firms within the same industry, to further the growth of specialised occupational health services for separate industries (possibly through the Health and Safety Commission's Industry Advisory Committees, when they are set up, or trade associations); larger firms to extend their occupational health services to their smaller neighbours.

The document suggests that the growth of specialised occupational health services, serving a whole industry, would enable all available information on the hazards of that industry, and the health of the workers in it, to be brought together and analysed. This would enable the industry (with EMAS advice) to plan and carry out its own programme of epidemiological surveys and other scientific research as appropriate. EMAS would then be able to concentrate more of its resources on commissioning basic research, on advising industry how best to tackle their own problems, and on studying problems not peculiar to one industry.

Among other recommendations, the document proposes that studies should be made, perhaps by University Departments of occupational health, to evaluate the relative costs and benefits of t reatment services provided by occupational physicians and nurses and the NHS. The first such study might be of alternative methods of t reatment for industrial injuries. Studies are also suggested to establish the relative costs and benefits of occupational health services as a whole. In addition, the document suggests that industry 's own doctors and nurses should participate more in

the existing programme of epidemiological surveys and other studies co-ordinated and mounted by EMAS. It also urges employers to meet the cost of group services to support diagnostic facilities, particularly in the radiographical, pathological and audiometric fields.

The document suggests that the requirements of periodic medical examinations should be reviewed by the HSC's Medical Advisory Committee to see whether some could now be dispensed with and medical manpower released for more demanding work. It also proposes that the Committee should discuss problems which might arise through possible conflict between the medical profession's duty to preserve confidentiali ty and the employer 's need for information on the health of employees.

Opportunities for the disabled A call for bet ter employment

opportunit ies for disabled people was made by Geoffrey Gilbertson, CBE, following his re-appointment by the Secretary of State for Employment as chairman of the National Advisory Council on Employment of Disabled People for a further three year period. Mr Gilbertson said that disabled people had the potential to make a tremendous contribution in the employment market but that too often that potential was not realised because of ignorance or lack of understanding on the part of employers or fellow-workers. He hoped that over the next three years the Council would be able to mak~ progress towards helping disabled people to use their skills and potential to the full and that the Council 's new three year term would see a real improvement in the share of job opportunit ies available to disabled people.

Mr Gilbertson continued that three major initiatives had already been taken by the Council: the joint launch with the Manpower Services Commission of Positive Policies, the comprehensive guide to employing disabled people; the preparation of reports on resettling mentally ill people and on arrangements for sheltered workshops to undertake public sector work.

Training safety representatives Proposed guidelines on the paid

time off for training which safety representatives will be allowed under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations were published on.6 December by the Health and Safety Commission, in a draft Code of Practice Time Off.for Training o f Safety Representatives: Proposal to Approve

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