SCOSC History
As compiled by Edgar L. McGowan, April 1997
In 1936, South Carolina was rural state consisting of small farms and a few textile mills in the Midlands and Piedmont regions of the state. Practically all of the small farms were worked by the owners and their families. Some of the larger farms used share cropper labor. The owner would provide the land, a dwelling, fertilizer, seed and often work side by side with the employee, with the proceeds from the money crop they planted being split 50-50. Every farm, and many who lived in the small towns, had gardens where they raised all of their vegetables. They also raised hogs, chickens, milk cows and a few cattle. Except for salt, coffee and sugar, each farm was practically self-sustaining. For a money crop, tobacco was grown in the Pee Dee region and cotton in the Midlands and Piedmont regions. A few farmers in all regions of the state raised produce as a money crop and would bring their produce to town and sell either to the merchants or from produce stands. In all regions of the state, timber was harvested. On the farms, the worst injury was a kick from a mule, which was the source of power. In timber harvesting, it was either a tree falling on a sawer or an axe slanted off of a knot and cut the person wielding the axe. In the textile industry, the injuries were mostly back injuries or injuries to the arms and hands.
In 1936 the legislature passed what is now known as the Workers’ Compensation Act. Prior to this act, there was a doctrine in the common law know as “assuming the risk.” If an employee took a job, he assumed the hazards of the job, and the employer was liable only if his negligence or an intentional act on his part caused the injury. The passage of the Worker’s Compensation Act reversed the assumption of the risk doctrine as same pertained to employer-employee relations and imposed on all employers with four (4) or more employees limited liability for an employee’s on the job injuries respective of any act on the part of the employer.
The Workers’ Compensation Act created the Industrial Commission, whose purpose was to determine the cause and extend of the injury suffered by an employee and set the amount to be paid by the employer for the injury. Since the Act was a radical change in the law, the Industrial Commission saw the need to educate the employers, employees, judges, lawyers and the public to the change. In order to accomplish this educational effort, in 1937 the Commission held a conference in Columbia. This was the first safety conference, and from 1937 to date, the conference has been held every year except in 1944 during World War II.
From 1937 until 1953, the Industrial Commission continued the conference with one of its employees being responsible for organizing and staging the conference. Over this period, the commission began accumulating safety films in a safety library which was available to any employer. It also began publishing a newsletter on safety and gradually expanded the conference to two day with invited speakers who addressed safety issues. During this period, the sole source of income was exhibitor fees, tickets to meals and some contributions from employers, which covered the cost of the conference and building the safety library.
In 1953 Faith Clayton and Irwin Kahn incorporated the South Carolina Statewide Accident Prevention Council. This corporation continued the conference and continued to be operated as an arm of the Industrial Commission, with its employee organizing the conference, adding to and distributing the safety films and materials, and advocating the concept of safety on the worksite.
In 1970 the Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed by Congress which brought a greater emphasis on employee safety and health. South Carolina began enforcing the Act in 1971 on behalf of its citizens. Commissioner Holmes Dreher and Fred Darrick, the Industrial Commission’s employee who was responsible for the council, changed the name to the South Carolina Occupational Safety Council.
In 1972, then Governor John West appointed a group of South Carolina’s leading executives to study state government, and they recommended that the Council be transferred to the Department of Labor.
From 1972 to 1976, after the transfer, the Council was an arm of the Division of Consultation, Education and Training of the Department of Labor. In 1972, the constitution was amended to provide for a twelve (12) member Board of Directors; consisting of the Commissioner of Labor, and Industrial Commissioner, the Director of the Division of Consultation, Education and Training and nine (9) members from the public who were employed in the safety or health area. During this period, the major source of funds for the Council continued to be exhibitor fees, tickets to the conference meals and contributions from employers.
In 1976, with the rapid growth in the Division of Consultation, Education and Training, the Director asked to be relieved of his Council duties. It was then decided to separate the Council from state government. This necessitated hiring an Executive Director, renting office space, equipping the office with furniture and office machines, etc. In order to accomplish this, the Council initiated membership dues, began charging a registration fee for the conference, charged non-members for use of the safety library and initiated an additional one day conference held approximately six months after the annual conference.
Since 1976 the participants at the two conferences have increased every year, the number of exhibitors has increased, an assistant has been employed to assist the Executive Director and the membership has grown.
Practically every state has an annual safety and health conference; however, few, if any, are as well organized or have the percentage of participation as the South Carolina Occupational Safety Council and its conferences.