diff --git a/include/osg/ObserverNodePath b/include/osg/ObserverNodePath
index d79633c70..aaa03b32a 100644
--- a/include/osg/ObserverNodePath
+++ b/include/osg/ObserverNodePath
@@ -73,4 +73,4 @@ class OSG_EXPORT ObserverNodePath : public osg::Observer
 
 }
 
-#endif
\ No newline at end of file
+#endif
diff --git a/src/osg/Observer.cpp b/src/osg/Observer.cpp
index 6c1d6a483..07f636087 100644
--- a/src/osg/Observer.cpp
+++ b/src/osg/Observer.cpp
@@ -68,4 +68,4 @@ void ObserverSet::signalObjectDeleted(void* ptr)
         (*itr)->objectDeleted(ptr);
     }
     _observers.clear();
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/osg/Referenced.cpp b/src/osg/Referenced.cpp
index ccc973fc8..7679828a7 100644
--- a/src/osg/Referenced.cpp
+++ b/src/osg/Referenced.cpp
@@ -94,6 +94,18 @@ OpenThreads::Mutex* Observer::getGlobalObserverMutex()
     return s_ReferencedGlobalMutext.get();
 }
 
+// helper class for forcing the global mutex to be constructed when the library is loaded. 
+struct InitGlobalMutexes
+{
+    InitGlobalMutexes()
+    {
+        Referenced::getGlobalReferencedMutex();
+        Observer::getGlobalObserverMutex();
+    }
+};
+static InitGlobalMutexes s_initGlobalMutexes;
+
+
 #if !defined(_OSG_REFERENCED_USE_ATOMIC_OPERATIONS)
 static bool s_useThreadSafeReferenceCounting = getenv("OSG_THREAD_SAFE_REF_UNREF")!=0;
 #endif