Delaware Safety Council is marking its 106th anniversary and celebrating Founders Day on June 4, 1919. The day came during National Safety Month.
The organization was founded by Irénée du Pont and throughout its history has offered safety training programs nationwide, including workplace, roadway, railway, and school safety.
Accomplishments in Delaware started early with the the first traffic light in the city of Wilmington and the first statewide vehicle inspections. The council the first to offer drivers’ education in Delaware high schools and published a traffic safety manual mailed to ever licensed driver in the state.
“Safety in my father’s house was a continuous process. Ladders had non-skid feet. Fire extinguishers were in easy reach. There was a fire hose and hydrant in the bushes beside the back door. We had to wear wool clothes while setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July,” said Irénée du Pont Jr., son of the founder.
On one occasion, du Pont’s family was to stay on the top floor in the finest hotel in Palm Beach. He refused the room due to the establishment having wood foundations and insisted on staying on the ground floor. Coincidently during that vacation, a fire started, and the hotel burned to the ground within minutes.
Safety also became a cornerstone principle at DuPont Co. Irénée du Pont’s innovations included safety glass that incorporated plastic into windshields. The glass made its way into Cadillacs in 1926. At the time, the duPont family interests had a stake in Cadillac maker General Motors.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
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