Discussion on "Psychological factors in accident causation" at the Birmingham Section of the Institution

MR. R. C. FENTON (Section President) : You have heard Mr. Oakley\´s talk on a subject which, as he says, affects a great many of us. No doubt you were, as I Avas, somewhat staggered at the figure of 50% of the population of the country suffering from some sort of accident each year, and I was trying to cast my mind back to the people I have been intimately connected with¿for instance" in the office ; how many times has the first-aid cabinet been in use during the period of a year ? And I am amazed to find I can remember almost every member of my staff having had a little iodine put on this, or a plaster put on that, things which very often we do not look upon as accidents, but which are accidents, and are the small things that lead probably to bigger ones ; 50% of the population or 20,000,000 accidents a year is a staggering figure.