Document DGQpqn8QOyG0V6DNDqLDMvLBO

I internal correspondence^ CHEMICALS AND PLASTICS 4 ' la'JQ / ) ^ UC 149-- z p. O. BOX 471. TEXAS CITY* TEXAS 77390 TO (NAME) COMPANY LOCATION Mr. T. L. Bateman Mr. J. H. Barrett Mr. T. 0. Blum Mr. L. E. Calver ty Mr. D. L. Engle v Mr. R. E. Graebert Mr. J. L. Hockersraith Mr. J. S. Knight Mr. J. E. Liana Mr. W. P. Nickles Mr. F. S. Provenzano Mr. D. R. Reetn Mr. R. J. Taylor date November 14, 1979 subject OSHA Complaints 1974 - 1979 Texas City Plant PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL Gents: Recently our Labor Relations Group reviewed the various OSHA complaints that have occurred at this location (1974 - 1979) to see if there were any discernible trends as to: (a) area from which the complaints were being filed, and (b) pattern as to type of complaint. Often these two factors, inhere repetition exists, is systematic of a larger problem. Our review does not indicate any trend as to area or type of complaint. With several exceptions the allegations were generally of a petty nature. The only disturbing note is the fact that thus far this year we have experienced more than double the number of complaints vs. any other year since 1974. The incidents of brain tumors and the resulting epidemiology study may to a large degree be responsible for the increase in complaints this year. The specific Incidents since 1974 are attached for your review if you care to study them in more detail. Sincerely, RR/gt Attachment R. Ritchie PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 053617 PRIVILEGED AND oc coo) 2O 00 OSHA COMPLAINTS - TEXAS CITY PLANT 1974 - 1979 Date 6/4/74 6/5/74 6/12/74 7/3/74 Type Special-VCM Monitoring Special-VCM Monitoring 3/23/74 Employee Complaint 11/12/75 OSHA initiated followup 9/15/76 OSHA initiated followup 11/15/76 Employee complaint Complaint None Who Stds. f Compli. Where Vinyls area Standards Violated None None Alleged unsafe condition walking from gate to Bldg. 74 Maintenance Office. OSHA inspection triggered by Texas City reporting, as required by law, of two VCM releases. Releases oc curred when a piping nipple cracked on an experimental heat exchanger. OSHA visit triggered by Texas City reporting, as required by law, an emer gency VC release. Release occurred when the power house went down. Alleged non air-conditioned control room exposes employees to CO, vinyl dust; primitive eating and cooking facilities. n ? Company n ? Company Based on engineering control clause, elevated VCM in two operations. None 29 CFR 1910.1017 (g)(3) fail ure to provide a written res piratory protection program meeting requirements of 29 CFR 1910.134. None Unknown #2 Gas Furnace None Bldg. ucc 053619 Page c Date 8/18/77 ism Employee complaint ft 9/8/77 ** Explosion/ fatality 9/15/77 Investigation 12/13/78 Employee complaint 1/2/79 < 3/6/79 letterempl oyee complaint Employee complaint Complaint Employee complained that he had to take a rest break in the Building 74 Maintenance Locker Room area at such times that a meeting was in progress in the conference-lunch room. Alleges unsanitary situation might be present. * Non-Solvent Process Explosion and fatality. Employee exposed to chemicals while loading tank cars and 55 gallon drums - Bldg. 19. No hot water in RestroomBldg. 239. Bad safety valve; shut down heater til repaired. Employee injured in unshored excavation. 3/14/79 4/6/79 Employee complaint Employee comp!aint 5/1/79 Data 6/21/79 Gathering 5/31/79 Employee complaint Employee exposed to mercury and vinyl chloride. Compliance with facial hair policy vs. respiratory pro gram. Complaint about people in offices being excused. Continuation of 12/13/78; employee exposure complaint Bldg. 19. Turnstile gates won't open in event of power failure. Who Mtce. employee Where Company G1usti or Bldg. 19 P.H. Un known Operator Bldg. 239 Unknown A.A.Ochoa (ankle bruise) Bldg.110/111 Employee Unknown Glustl (maybe) Bldg. 19 Employee Gates 7D,1 Unknown 2,5 Standards Violated None None anticipated. Inspection and sampling continuing 1/23/79. None None None None o5 2 m o P os m< 3 z h rm- xm x~a > -o m-t o Si X < m > IH sampling continuing. None Date 6/29/79 8/20/79 9/28/79 Type Letteremployee complaint Empl oyee complaint Employee complaint 10/3/79 Employee complaint Complaint Sewer backs up in restroom at Bldg. 225 during heavy rain. Vinyl dust is so thick in the air, it chokes employee. Dust from road north of No. 3 Olefins furnaces is very heavy. Employees are overexposed to ozone and metal fumes while welding inside van boxes at Bldg. 189. Who Employee Unknown Where Bldg. 225 Frances (PF) PF's Bldg. 121 No. 3 Oleflns Hall (Garage) Bldg. 189. Standards Violated None None None None NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Shelby Lloyd Perkins 1133 Park Lane, Texas City, Texas W/M Goodyear Operator - made tires Oilfield as roughneck 8-17-53 - Union Carbide Weighmaster Vinyl Shipping - 6 years - 1 month Chemical Shipping, 2 years - 5 months Vinyl Resin, Methyleth^ Ketone, Toluene, Acetone, Minimal exposure to Vinyl Acetate and Vinyl Chloride, Any chemical product made by Union Carbide 3-2-62 % PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054574 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Vincent Francis Edler 1924 - 1st Street, League City, Texas W/M Construction Foreman Clerk in Traffic Department 5-18-41 - Union Carbide Opera tor Sulfuric Acid - 2 years - 6 months Chief Operator Ethanol - 22 years - 2 months Diethyl Sulfate, Ether, Ethyl Oils, Benzene, Ethylene, Sulfuric Acid, Sulfur fumes. Ethanol 1-5-66 * PRIVILEGED AND `'CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054575 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Louie Roy Burck 3302 Main, La Marque, Texas W/M Crane Operator 1-25-50 - Union Carbide Heavy Equipment Operator Plantwide - 16 years - 7 months Plant Environmental Atmosphere 8-31-66 * rw-jnss**. , PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054576 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Eugene Ray Pope 331 - 12th Avenue North, Texas City, Texas W/M Retail Sales Clerk Demolition Specialist (Army) 8-21-53 - Union Carbide Operator Polyethylene - 17 years - 9 months Ethylene, Acetone, Isopropanol, Vinyl Acetate (minimal), Polyethylene 5-7-71 PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054577 NAME: ADORESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Clinton LaVaughan Mitcham 1028 Hiway 3, La Marque, Texas W/M Managed Bowling Alley Helper in Frozen Food Locker 3-2-49 Union Carbide Operator #1 Gas Compression - 22 years - 3 months Dripolene, Hydrogen Sulfide, Propylene, Ethylene, Furnace Gas 6-5-71 4 vca* w: PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054578 f NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: William Wurzlow 1429 - 4th Avenue North, Texas City, Texas W/M PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: Garage Mechanic Managed Swimming Pool DATE OF HIRE: 9-26-46 - Union Carbide CRAFT AND WORK AREA: Operator Ethylene Oxide - 6 years - 9 months Chief Operator Polyethylene - 19 years - 9 months ev. POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: Ethylene Oxide, Ethylene Glycol, Acetylene, Ethylene, Ethylene Dichloride (minimal). Heavier Glycols (Di and Tri), Acetone, Isopropanol, Vinyl Acetate (minimal), Polyethylene % DATE OF TERMINATION: 3-22-73 PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 0S4579 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Lawrence Salvadore Tuttoilmondo 1101 Pirtle - LaMarque, Texas W/M Todd Dry Dock Machinist Ship Repair 9-19-51 - Union Carbide Machinist Plantwide - 9 months #2 Gas Area - 6 years Polyethylene Area - 9 years Machine Shop - 7 years -- Ethylene, Propylene, All gases in Gas Area, Methanol (minimal). Acetone (minimal). Isopropanol (minimal). Vinyl Acetate (minimal). Polyethylene 1-8-74 * PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054580 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Kaare Thorsteinson Remme 1920 Avenue M, Galveston, Texas W/M Todd Shipyard - Carpenter S/S American Press - Oiler S/S M.T. Goldsoboro - Fireman/Watertender 10-19-50 - Union Carbide Operator #6 Pumphouse - 1 year #1 Powerhouse - 8 years #7 Pumphouse - 13 years - 6 months Chlorine, Fuel Gas, Plantwide atmosphere 6-15-68 % M --n- .. ..V. .* .r. PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054581 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Joe Briley Liles 5550 N. Braeswood -174, Houston, Texas W/M McMurrey Refining Co. - Chief Chemist Independent Refining Co. - Tetra Ethyl Lead Blender/Chemist 7-29-41 - Union Carbide Instrument Man Chemical Area - 4 years - 10 months Plantwide - 4 years - 2 months Instrument Foreman Shop Area - 15 years Division Head Shop Area - 7 years Purchasing Agent Bldg. 1 - 3 years All plant products - 9 years Reduced exposure - 22 years No exposure - office environment - 3 years 5-31-74 PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054582 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT ANO WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Bobby Jack Hinson 907 - 24th Avenue North, Texas City, Texas W/M Kirby Lumber Co. - Laborer Southwestern Bell - Lineman 10-30-53 - Union Carbide Weighmaster - Vinyl Shipping 5 years - 11 months Weighmaster - Chemical Shipping 19 years - 2 months Vinyl Resin, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Toluene, Acetone, Vinyl Acetate (minimal). Vinyl Chloride (minimal). Any Chemical Product manufactured by Carbide 12-21-78 PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" UCC 054583 NAME: ADDRESS: RACE/SEX: PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: DATE OF HIRE: CRAFT AND WORK AREA: POTENTIAL CHEMICAL/ GAS EXPOSURE: DATE OF TERMINATION: Luevell Malone 2541 Jackson Street, La Marque, Texas B/M Camp Wallace - Porter 9-18-46 Janitor South Chemical Area - 10 years Janitor Shop Area - 4 years Laborer - Evening Shift - Plantwide - 4 years Oiler Vinylite Area - 8 years - 9 months Plantwide Exposure Active % PRIVILEGED AND "CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER" ucc 054584 i