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460.0 Safety SOUTHWESTERN 3NLT.T., IRECORD COP? Document rov.'c.r *3 official fils copy-I (Bed stamp denotes August 11, 1987 Ms. Burldene Leininger, Administrative Assistant to Vice President District Mo. 6, CWA 2334 Olive Street St. Louis, Missouri 63103 Dear Burldene: The following arrangements have been made for the August, CWA-SWBT Safety Committee meeting: Date: August 17, 1987 Place: One Bell Center, Room 486 Time: 10:30 a.m Please notify Messrs. Ferrill, Holbrook, and Ms. Carlock. Very truly yours (Sgd.) Wayne Johnson f/David L. Metz BCC: Mr. McIntyre Ms. Towns Mr. Hill SWBT 001030 August 17, 1987 Union-Management Safety Meeting Attending: Un i on Burl dene Leininger - Administrative Assistant to Vice President, District 6, CWA Nell Carlock - President, Local 6507, Little Rock, Arkansas Philip Fern'll - President, Local 6310, St. Louis, Missouri (Guest) Management David L. Metz Liz Towns Chuck Hill George Kubes - Division Manager-Labor Relations - District Manager-Automotive and Safety - Area Manager-Safety - Area Manager-Distribution Services Methods (Guest) 1. FI exgel Ms. Leininger reported that the complainants in Arkansas have not provided her with the specific information requested as a result of the May 5, 1987 Safety discussion. A continuation of the discussion on FI exgel will be postponed until this information is provided. SWBT 001031 2- - 2. Elastrel The information Mr. Jeff Bartlett was to provide has not been received. When it is received another Safety meeting will be scheduled to review this material and continue the discussions on Elastrel. 3. Asbestos Management quoted Mr. Foster's July 7, 1987, letter regarding current Company policy regarding exposure to asbestos containing material. The Union was also advised a detailed asbestos procedure is being developed with an October, 1987, publication objective. (See Attachment 1) 4. B-Cleaning Fluid Mr. Ferril 1 made a presentation on the employee and Union concerns regarding B-cleaning fluid. This item comes in liquid form and as saturated towellettes. The towellettes are included in Raychem splice closure kits. It is used in splice pits as well as underground and in the air by Cable Splicing Technicians. His specific points were as follows: - The highly concentrated liquid form comes in pint cans which can be more easily spilled and misused. SWBT 001032 -3- CWA did research on the risks associated with the principal ingredient, methyl chloroform (also known as 1,1, 1 trichloroethane and chlorothene). Attachment 2, from the Union's standpoint, substantiates the following concerns: There is poor ventilation in confined areas such as splice pits. Concentrated vapors used in areas of poor ventilation can cause headaches, drowsiness, mental confusion, dizziness, and contribute to kidney or heart problems. Chlorinated solvents also tend to cause cancer. Trichloroethane may permeate certain types of gloves, and be absorbed through the skin with toxic effects. Trichloroethane exposed to hot metal can give off hydrochloric acid, phosgene, and dichloroacetylene. Splicing Technicians use a torch when applying "heat shrink." Methyl chloroform should not be used near nitrogen. Splicers use nitrogen tanks as a regular part of the job. Some Splicers literally pour liquid B-cleaning fluid over the splice. They are not aware of how to use it. SWBT 001033 -4- CWA wants the Company to utilize a safe substitute product such as alcohol or freon which would be effective with encapsulant oil and grease. If such a substitute is not viable, only towellettes should be utilized. Company representatives responded to the Union's concerns as follows: Methyl chloroform reacts to N2 0^ which is not the pure nitrogen used by Splicers. B-cleaning fluid is also used in central offices for contact cleaning purposes. Towel!ettes cannot be used in these cases. B-cleaning fluid replaced carbon tetrachloride for safety purposes. It is also possible that "B-aerosol spray" contains methyl chloroform which is used in central offices. Mr. Hill will confirm this. Splicers use plastic gloves supplied with the Raychem closure kit. They also use separately supplied surgical gloves. Management will confirm that these gloves prevent permeation. Product quantity, exposure time, and body mass of the user must all be considered when evaluating the safety or danger associated with a product of this type. SWBT 001034 -5- If a manhole Is properly ventilated there is no danger. Splice pits and aerial splices are open air situations. B-cleaning fluid dissipates rapidly and completely evaporates in 30-45 seconds. An extremely small exposure period and quantity of the solvent is involved when a splice is "wiped down." There would therefore, be little danger from heat. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are written to protect em ployees who produce the product in large quantities in pure form. B-cleaning fluid is watered down 1,1,1 trichloroethane. Freon and alcohol are normally used In pure form and are both highly flammable. Their fumes linger and have a low flash point. Freon is basically a Florocarbon which attacks the earth's ozone layer. Both Freon and alcohol are stress cracking agents that deteriorate plastic. The deaths associated with methyl chloroform involved extended exposure to high concentrations involving over 10,000 parts per million parts of air (ppm). The OSHA permissible exposure limit is 350 parts ppm. SWBT 001035 6- - A 1987 study conducted by the Alliance of Manufacturers, Suppliers, and Users confirmed that there is no danger associated with the use of this product. A study sponsored by the EPA concluded that there was no need to control this product to protect users. The Union has been previously supplied with backup data included on an EPA report in the Federal Register which concluded that there was no evidence to substantiate controls under the Clear Air Act. The Workers Institute for Safety and Health updated their 1976 analysis and now indicate that methyl chloroform has no cancer causing effects. Management agreed to the following: Check the gloves used by Splicers to determine if they prevent permeation. Review training for instruction on proper use of B-cleaning fluid. Check to see if there is data available on Splicer exposure to methyl chloroform in terms of the numbers of parts ppm. If no such data is available we will conduct air monitoring tests and invite the Union to attend. SWBT 001036 -7Management reviewed the procedures followed when Distribution Services evaluates a new product. This includes the following: Is it needed? Is it safe? If the answer to both questions is yes and there are technical and/or economic advantages to its uses, a study of the product is scheduled. After the study it is field trialed. Upon completion of the field trial there is further testing which could involve a laboratory analysis. Safety always outweighs cost advantages. Management will report back on its findings. SWBT 001037 460.0902 - Asbestos Attachment 1 Copies sent 7-10 to Mr. Alexander Mr. Barry Mr. Caldwell Mr. Schoonmaker st. Louis, July TTlM ft Brockman PRESIDENT-ARKANSAS DIVISION: QX Bettis ** PRESIDENT-KANSAS DIVISION: PRESIDENT-MISSOURI DIVISION: PRESIDENT-OKLAHOMA DIVISION: PRESIDENT-TEXAS DIVISION: EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT-FINANCE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS:^ VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL AND SECRETARY: VICE PRESIDENT-PROCUREMENT: This concerns the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) final asbestos standard, and reaffirms the Company's existing policy for dealing with asbestos. Of particular significance in the OSHA standard is that the permissible exposure limit of employees to airborne concentrations of asbestos has been reduced from 2.0 to 0.2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air calculated as an eight hour time-weighted average. Exposures at or above the action level of 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air trigger other requirements such as certain training and medical surveillance. Because of the high degree of technical expertise that will be required to comply with this standard. Company employees should not be used to perform any job on Company or customer premises that involves asbestos containing material where there is a possibility that the material may be disturbed during the work operation. If and when this situation arises, the state safety staff should be contacted for advice and consultation. This policy will stand until more detailed procedures that address management of asbestos in Company buildings as well as on customer premises are issued by October of this year. Questions should be directed to: George Kubes Ann Bieller Virginia Becker Chuck Hill 314-235-2859 - Network Distribution 314-235-4452 - Buildings 314-235-1961 - Central Office 314-235-5592 - GHQ Safety Marketing Presidentd Operations SWBT 001038