Courtesy Photo | From the February 18, 1949 Service to the Fleet, John L Conley was sandblasting the...... read more read more
This time on Heritage Hour we take a look back at some of the earlier versions of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) still used every day and how recognizing the continued safety of workers has been at the foundation of NNSY for decades.
Safety glasses, hardhats, respirators and welding helmets are all examples of PPE that were in use both today and in the 1940s. As World War II raged, new and inexperienced workers entered the waterfront and examples of the benefits of safety equipment were often published. Both Service to the Fleet and its predecessor Defender shared stories all throughout the 1940s of safety glasses, referred to simply as “goggles”, saving sandblasters and foundry worker’s eyes. These were not the lightweight plastic glasses we know today, but metal framed circles of solid glass that could shatter from the impact of rocks, but still prevented irreparable damage. Hardhats in the 1940s had the more direct name of “skull guard” but the function of protecting workers from falling objects was no different. When a steel liner wedge used during ship construction fell from above, the shipwright was able to return to work after only a few minutes as his skull guard had saved him from an impact that was so hard, it cracked his hardhat down to the brim. In 1942, it was considered a “progressive policy of the yard” when 2,500 metal fume respirators were made available to welders of the waterfront. A reflection of the time, the inhalation of galvanized fumes was referred to as simply a discomfort known to all welders. As time and research has progressed, we now know that breathing in those fumes can cause long term health problems that are far beyond a “discomfort”. The same year, another major breakthrough came through for welders. At the now closed Mare Island Navy Yard, a welder named John Coccellato was credited with inventing a welder’s helmet that used springs to hold the shield snug and did away with the heavy leather drapes that used to cover the sides and back of the worker’s head.
The Safety Flag recognition observed today in NNSY is the current example of the long running tradition of recognizing and promoting safe practices on the waterfront. Under Secretary of the Navy, Artemus L. Gates reminded readers in a 1945 issue of Service to the Fleet that although the war was over, the continuing mission to ensure a safe and healthful workplace remained. While clothing fashions have changed over the years, the photos of shop and crew representatives accepting safety awards do not look so different than the ones taken today. When workplace injuries rose in early 1949, a reminder was put out that it is not just the NNSY worker who is affected when someone was hurt, but also their families.
During this National Safety Month, please take a moment when donning PPE to think of the shipyard workers of the past, how they would envy the vast improvements we benefit from and be ever aware of what can cause harm allowing NNSY to carry on the tradition of keeping people safe.
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2024 13:16 |
| Story ID: | 473257 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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