This sculpture and safety award are within a (now forever closed and locked) gate to the Lehigh Cement Plant in Metaline Falls. It is one of a series created by the Art Institute of Chicago for the Portland Association. Many of these awards are still to be found in towns which had cement plants before the 1980s, when high costs caused abandonment of the program.
The symbolism in the sculpture, unfortunately, escapes the writer. The two figures are ancients, possibly Romans. The rest we'll leave to your imagination (or knowledge).
The first “Safety Follows Wisdom” Trophy (or Monument) was awarded to the San Antonio Portland Cement Company in San Antonio, Texas during the Associations Spring Meeting in May 1924. Prior to 1923, a competition was held to create the “Safety Follows Wisdom” design, and the winner was a small team of artists from the Art Institute in Chicago working under the guidance of well-known sculptor, Albin Polasek. That same safety design is still used in the Safety Awards presented today.
From the Historical Marker Database
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