Document 6BvNBME4MY2ongp32jdqaRon4

FILE NAME: Kent (KNT) DATE: 1954 June 2 DOC#: KNT015 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Internal Report - Asbestos Bearing Dust Situation of West Groton Plant - H. & V. Specialties Co. Hollingsworth ScVose Company iII or - OOo confidential pursuant to the ierardi protective order dated JANUARY 7,1991 ' 000426 o n O <K wt* u .1 ^ Snv* 3t< u>s i [* H 5 S.2 i mv e 3* A 5 bV- -u s &*** ho u -h C"C,l o H * CO ** $ U pi c sn ug u 'S*o s * HK I1. 11 s* ZT: 3 28 23 fis US or4no HooA u0 Of a n p lA T iz a lo c t t io n J-;:t (Ashes*-.- t Cotton) M llio r .s o f T a rt id e a p a r C u b ic F o o o f A ir k 1 0 r l.-.u te s , 37 se co n d s 5 10 d n u te s , li? s e c e n d s 6 I S r ir .u t e s , 30 se co n d s O p e r a t o r 's E x p o s u re D is c h a r g e en d o f n a c h -. in e , f i r s t ru n n e t t r ia l G e n e ra l a i r s id e a n d f r o n t o f b re a k e r ca rd N o . 1 G e n e ra l a ir a n d s id e o f No 1 ta k e -o ff f in is h e r ends ca rd 1 1 ,0 __ s i ' 1 s 1 6 ,3 | 3 .5 ! ~ 1 1 U a d L a v a A llo w a b le C c n c e n t r a i l a n is . "Tha alienable eaneiAtntloa for respdxabl*-. ; asbestos dust la a ir 1 given 1 S B illio n p a rtia l ! par cubic foo t of Air However, lac t h a n 1 only 30* Asbestos in the mixture, using the saaa reasoning AA_we---- 1________ do in the creluetion of the snarl-gun allowable 00noentra tion fo r fre e silicA , we aitIta At figure o f IS B illio n particle per eubio fea t of Air Therefore, the bora result indicAte th at i f our Assumption 1 velid the coaceatrAtion of the dust 1 net exceedT11 9 n June 2U. 19*3 as a resu lt of sy request, Ur. H.C. Burahen represent ing S p e c ia lties' insurance eonpuy (Kartford Accident 4 Indemnity Cost- j any) can to the .plant >nd looked .m ilthe .cperatijMi.--H_reeoBgended-- . 1 n a l e t t e r signed by C.R, Sinclair, the D istric t Ingineer for t h e _____[ Qsurahce coseany th at x-rays be taken of a l l eaployeet in K 4 V Speo- j : i l t i e s Co, I n c . and that the aaae ehoold be done fo r a l l new cspiojvec j f Special tie Thi m alo reccncnnded by th S tate Engineer end 1 1 cenlsts back In Cetober 1952. 1I 1 %January of 1 9 ft, !>. Nichols and lb* Kicholeon t i l d m th a t beglnnirg ! : s o d ia ts ly a l l new eaployees of both Specialties and K oU incrrarth 4 * 33 Cc~m y trere to have a cheat x-ray in addition to the regular pre- icployrtnt physieal examination, I arranged-through Dr. Cyrus Cond.no or the chest x -n y s to b taken at the Oroton Coasunity Koepital and 9 be read by Dr Robert 0 . 7ance, ftAdlologUt, of Boston i ' ie f i r s t pert f jecialties spshe 1i y 1J5U, Ur m i ton Z* Wheeler, J r . , to !* . O 'te ll 07 about the p o e sib ility an of employee having a of <iest x-ray < 1 toy fj 19f t , ^1". *ieholt and 1&-. hicholeon asked me to mkc arTAnge: ir.ts to haro a l l of the present cqrloyeea of H t V S to c ia liio s Co, 3 ;c. have chest ::-rays. This toi arranged fo r at the Croton rJospital. i <f T .Q047 - - - 1 \ rr** ^ -3- Cn the rom ing of lviy 5, l$ 2 i, lir. J/cehan, the Cut,* Inspector, in cor>pany Ydth .'Ir. S iv ly and lir Cot+jcni v isited the iire c ia ltie s niant ar.= hen came to tj o ffic e . They stated that tho dust condition, in the deportaor.t waa ccm iderably b e tte r and p rac tic ally n i l . They also again recoisxnded that cheat x-ray* fo r a l l nr* employ** and the employ ees in S pecialties to taken I t d d then that we had already started laving chest x-rays for a ll new employees and th at we were going to have the scuae dose fo r a l l present employs* On Friday, Uay 7 t i , Ur. Thome Obea asked Ur. 0'lS ill7 i f the company iras going to ha7t chest x-rays of the employees in S p ec ia lties. Ur. O'Uallay to ld bin that arra n je.e o t* were now being nade and that the -rays would be started next week Six x-rays were taken on Uay lU th, six on Iky 17th eren on U y ZOth and one on liar 2 1 st. They were examined and read by b% Vance, and a l l rere negative except the one fo r George W Oakes Sr vanoe reported th at-to h is opinion Oakes' x*cay ladtoated an old .codition Et bad. previously been arranged th a t a l l reparte were to be considered onfldential and a d irect report on a l l x-rays was to be giren to H k V KSpecialties Co., Zae Unfortunately, tho x-ray technician on coopletg the p lo t urea snde the following rosarle to an aploye* " i l l x-raye I pear negative axcapt that of George IT Oakes." The esployee to whoa is aade the resark, apparently pissed I t on saong tho other eaployeea ritb the r e s u lt bsieg that Oakes was notified in d ire c tly of the re e u lt f h is x-ray - *- In Iky 21st, i t ves decided th a t a ta lk should be held with the Hartford Insurance Company to get th e ir th e u g h ti and fecHSi&datlons regaH jng he x-ray o f lir. Oakes On Lfenday, May 2hth, Ur. Jesse If' Hshe~e*of o the tTcst Qro t on office and the ease was discussed with him. -He '.ought th a t the esployee, lir. Oakoa, should be to ld of hie condition and hat we should get a recommendation froa Or. Vence and-Dr. Cominos. n Tuesday, V*7 2fth, a t about 10tJ0 a., Ur. O 'lh lle y end Z went to '.e hora of Ur. George Oakes end to ld bin of the x -ray finding . --Ur------akee told us th a t he knew of th is condition and th a t scse three or four ear* age, when the Ihssachusette Tuberoulosie Association Uobile Unit ace to the Vest Srcton plant and took cheat x-raya of a l l thoee who ished then, he had or.i taken.and was inforsed th at he should consult is doctor He oentaeted Dr.Cosninoe who, he' sta te d , to ld him o f 'the ~ lest ooed itice. 7nis chest x-rey was taken p rio r to hia eaploymnt by recialties Tuesday, ik7 25th, Ur. Eugene SoLth and I went to tho office of Dr tus Comino.. Z told him th at the x-ray technician, Ur. Hickson,_____ d to ld Harold Pelote, when he had his x-ray taken, th a t up to th at t i r s 1 of the x-n;*9 wero negative oxc>pt the one fo r Oocrge Cakos and a t 1 thought i t was very d e fin ite ly a breada of ethios and fa ith and a t l*x. .Hickson, in cy opinion, had no right to giv* th is Information anycn* except Cr. Cominos and Car. Vanoe. Dr. Cownincs stated th at was very so rry hnd happened and fu rth er sta te d that he would nd a l e t t e r of Axvl&natlsn and apelegr to IV. Hichoie on <sor4'S'8 Aceexparied b7 Dr. Cominoc, '.'x. S rith end I w r,t to the Orotop. Hospi ta l when re iscusccd the x-rays with Dr. 7x.ee, Alio f rtte n t were lis a .belted, suterintenrient of tho h ospital, 1> . liickron, the hospi t a l x-ray technician, and Dr. V w cs's nurse. Dr. Vane# told ms th a t - th# condition io'-rre in Ltr. Cakes' lunge was of long ffcndihg and. fre a th# h isto ry cf hi* previous work, h# would think that i t wa caused possibly ir e s rttr.s d u st. He furth er stated th at hi* cheat was com pletely healed and that there was car tissue preeent, I asked him what he would recoztsr.d for th is son and i f allowed to continue to work in Specialtie * would i t in any way aggravate that previous condition. He ' stated th a t Tery d e fin ite ly asbestoe could aggravate the condition and that i f by any chance he ehBuld pick up any tuberculosis, i t could be a ttrib u ta b le to th* asbestos exposure. His recommendation -sat th a t he ; be immediately taken out of S pecialties and th at he thould not a t any tin s work where there was a dust condition. On Wednesday, lay 26th, a t about 2 0 0 Pa*, Hr. Nichols, Ur. 0<U lly and I went to Ur. Oakes hose. Ko was sleeping and.hie wife got him up 1 and brought him downstairs. I to ld h ia that la riew of the condition of hi chest gr.d th recoraendations of Or. Vince, Dr. Costdaoc^and Xt , Rahor, th a t we could not allow h ia to work in Specialties any longer, but th a t lb-. '-beU lster was going on a ninety-day lsa re -o f- - .absence s ta r tin g June 1 st and th a t ire could give h ia a tran sfe r to : ; th at job and as soon as any job beeans available on the b u lle tin board, ha would be e lig ib le to bid f o r the sama. He eaaaad a t a lo ts fa r something to say and having ju st, awakened him, Z suggested th a t he con- ta c t me the next U7 whan he cane fo r his pay. This seemed to be agree-' able to h ia . ! On Thursday, Uay 27th, Ur. liac'Jfcstsr spoke to a t about Ur. Oakes, s t a t ing th a t Ibr. Cakes had gone to Dr. Coisiinos and th a t the doctor had to ld h ia th a t th ere was no reason why he could not work in hia reg u la r ; department (S p e cia lties) and th a t asbestoe would not .hurt h ia . I con tacted D r.' Comoinoc and he to ld me, over the telephone, that he to ld r. Oakes th a t i f the eeapacqr wanted to here him sign.a release th a t i t would be a lr ig h t fo r him to work th ere and the he, fir. Coolnos, would ta lk to th e company along th a t lin e . I to ld Dr. Cominoa that i f ------- -- there was the p o s s ib ility of a reoccurrence aa had baen stated to us or. Tuesday, Uiy 25th, th at wa could net allow h ia to ita y th ere. Ik*. Uae- n a ster, Vx. "ir r e n , 'r. UoCann, and U r. Oak* came in to the o ffice and asked fo r a dissuasion of th* e ase . Ur. Eugene Smith attended th is discussion. U r. Oak stated th a t he had-been to see Dr. Cooninos end is .to ld by h ia t b i t there was no reason! why he could not work in the partner.t, th a t his chest was a l l healed up froa the old a ila e n fa h d r t would net bother him. The suggestion was made that Ur. Oakes be -rayed and c u aln ad by another h o sp ital and doctor. The Burbank Hocpiin Fitchburg ra s suggested. Ur. Nicholson was eontactod and he stated hat' ho f e l t th a t cho insurance nd th at they a h n id be allowed company should be t e l l to make the decision. the cenplete-stfatbra* If II ?----- ^ lI*fRL0gh 0 4 2 9 2 2m1-3 i **' I* ^ -.* 3 l. V Friday, Hay 2itn, a n ertin ; was held in Ur, Snith1* office a*. ;;#jt 'tan with Hr. JcniS H. Rahsr cf ths Hartford Insurine r^ r-.in y , jen d 2 Snith in i - present. Hr, Oakes'case wit discussed'at great* l f e t h and i t --.a decided th at, in cocplete fairness to the employee, ha should be alic.ved to hive another x-^ay taken by an x-riy uaa of hi* choice *r.d than eenpare the reports* Tuesday, June 1, lSFh, !ir, Snith and I went to Ur. Oakes1 hoes to tilth bin nheut ths p o ssib ility of his bavins anothor x -n y taksn a t |a place of h is choice, but sa t hin on Squannaoook Road in hie car ar discussed the rs.t-.ar with h in th ere. Ur* Oakes stated th at he did nc f s s l i t ta s c a c u ia iy to have another x-ray taken nine the conditii had been with bin fo r a number of yeare as a ro su lt of having worked in o a l sdr.es in Kentucky, He had been aware of the condition and had li the work in the coal sines becauso of i t* He stated that he did n< fe e l that another r-ra y to old change the picture end th at he had de< ed th a t, as per our suggestion, i t was b e tte r for h ia to leave the de: ta e n t and th a t he would go, on Honday next, June 7th , to the ping Department and take over the job vacated by R.Y. UicUastar who i s In, 3eave-of-absence and th a t in th t maantiae he would watch the t in boar! fo r any poselbl* job a th a t ha could bid on* On fednesday, J o e 2, I called Ur. Nichols tad iafotxed hia of this deeJsioa by Ur. Cakes* I have also called Ur* Raher of tha Hartford Instance Company* Sincerely yours, HOLLIMGSTICKW L VOSS Frank C. Harmon tsploytent Usnagsr bib S#10ENfWkPURSUANTTQTHE lEHAHBI PR0TICTIV6 ORDER DATED MNUARY7.1991 I 000430