Document JJBM8JZ7jEGBZrRrxQ9y1beRB

FILE NAME: General Electric (GE) DATE: 1931 Jan 6 DOC#: GE116 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to Mr. C-E.A. Winslow, VP NSC, from Mr. Cameron, Managing Director, NSC, RE NSC Statement that Silicosis is Preventable Under the fair use provisions of the copyright law of the United States (17 USC 107), this single copy was produced for reference use only VJ ,i. from material m Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. P.O. Box 208240. 128 Wail Street. New Haven CT, 0652II&24a-...-- UJjj^permission is granted, neither this copy nor the words on it may be: reproduced in any form; used by an unauthorized person; )kiced he collections of any institution or individual. N S C ational afety ouncil orSafety-atMfirkINC-OoRnPORtAhTEeDStreet'-intheJfome C IVIC O P E R A B U IL D IN G - 2 0 N O R T H W A C K E R D R IV E Chicago Mr. C.-B. A. Winslow Vioe-president, N.S.C. New Haven, Conn. January 6 1931 Dear Dr. Winslows Several weeks ago our member, Mr. Harold S. Falk, Vice-President of The Falk Corporation of Milwaukee (also President of the Wis consin Manufacturers' Association) complained that the following statement in the advertisement of the Standard Safety Equipment Company of Chicago, in the December issue of the NATIONAL SAFETY NEWS - "Silicosis is preventable and it is up to the employer to do this job. If one of your workmen falls a victim to Silioosis, don't blame him - blame yourself," was unfair to employers and would alienate all Wisconsin members. Mr. Falk also served notice of the withdrawal of his membership which had been main tained since 1913. Several letters were interchanged and I made an appointment with Mr. Falk to see him in Milwaukee with the President of the Standard Safety Equipment Company, Mr. Larry Diokson, also this year the Chairman of our Aooident Prevention Equipment Manufacturers' Sec tion. As the result of several hours of conference Mr. Falk has promised to write a letter commenting on the draft of the Sand Blast Report which had been sent to him a week previously. When the report was reoelved it had been sent by the mail department to their safety inspector who had not shown it to M r . Falk, so he was unacquainted with it when we met in oonferenoe. Mr. Falk had in his office Mr. C. 0. Bartlett, now a Consulting Engineer in Mil waukee, but employed for 18 years with Gueder Paesohe and Fry. Mr. Falk employed Mr. Bartlett 18 months ago to spend all of his time, as the Consultant of the Wisconsin Manufacturers' Associa tion, on the problem of silioosis. Mr. Bartlett talked glibly about the complications of the problem} said that the National Safety Counoil has probably not studied the problem thoroughly; that it is practically impossible for industries to provide ab solute proteotion to the worker under all of the conditions in which sand is used in the foundry. Mr. Falk produced pictures of many steel oastings and described the conditions under whioh they were taken out of the moulds; that many of these complicated T H E NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCILIS A CO-OPERATIVE, NON-PROFIT INSTITUTION RENDERING ACCIDENT PREVENTION SERVICE TO MEMBERS Under the fair use provisions of the copyright law of the United States (17 USC 107), this single copy was produced for reference use only from material in Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, P.O Box 208240, 128 Wall Street, New Haven CT 36520-8240. 'll Unless permission is granted, neither this copy nor the words on it may be: reproduced in any form; used by an unauthorized person; or placed in the collections of any institution or individual - 2- oastings oould not be sand blasted under controlled conditions and that theoretical atmospheric counts under specified working condi tions were of little value. Mr. Falk also referred to the study now in prooess under the direc tion of Mr. Bartlett in the State of Wisconsin, for which he personal ly raised a fund of $10,000 by employers. Reference was made to Dr. H. K. Panooast, of the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, as knowing more about Silicosis than any one in America, and that he had recently testified that he had ohanged his mind on the * o l e problem of Silicosis and so forth. Mich was said about theoretical investigations such as are made by Dr. Greenburg and Mr. Bloomfield. I visited two other large ooroorations in Milwaukee during the afternoon - A. 0. Smith and Company and Allis-Chalmers - and was told both of these members that they did not have the problem to deal with but that there was considerable alarm in Wisconsin because of the possible ruination of in dustry if it was penalized for all cases of Silioosis. I know very well that the problem of border-line cases; conflicting medical `testi mony; controversies between political bodies and employers, have little to do w i t h the determination of reasonable conditions under which work ers should be protected. Typioal case cited: worker 68 years old; in the employ of the company 32 years and when slowing up in his work and nearly disoharged went to a doctor and was told he had Silicosis, claim instituted under the Wisconsin Law. I asked Mr. Bartlett if he oould attend your meeting in New York next Monday, the 11th, but he hesitated because of the expense. I imagine Mr. Falk will say something about this in his letter to be received in a day or two. ' I was told more than a week ago about the two recent J f t decisions in Belleville, Illinois, when one worker was awarded $12,000 for permanent total disability due to Silicosis contracted in a sand blast ing operation; and another of more than $14,000 to an employee under S S l u i oir.ui.famo... ?h. President of the northern B l c o r O o . p y of cl.T0 l.nd (known to us slno. 1915) dropped he was giving testimony in many cases now being tried in court, that there were 80 pending oases in New Jersey; 5 m Boston, and many throughout th/oountry. He said a good deal in criticism of the employ er for his indi^ferenoy and lack of definite day-by-day interest in the real protection of the worker. M v imnression is that we are going to have another situation on our hands similar to the Spray Coating Investigation and Report, ^ a p s w e ^ h o u l not take Mr. Falk's protest too seriously, but I hope you wi 6 conference on Monday in your usual judicial manner tornakesure that th recommendations in the report are very carefully sured Mr. Falk that vie would be very glad to have his that our committee welcomed recommendations from any one because mnted the report to reflect the practical experience of industry an or placed in the collections of any institution or individual. recommendation3 that were possible to carry out. I shall be unable to attend the meeting myself because of emergency engagements in Minnesota, Tuesday, January 12, but Dr. Sappington will be present at the meeting and ready to be of help to you. Sincerely yours, TOG: CM W . H-- same ron inaging Direotor P. S. - I suppose you know that the Metropolitan has been conducting an investigation in Wisconsin for some time past. The report will be out soon. Have you seen it? If not, could you get a copy from McConnell? WHO tj_J q- ..l * f * n m , r i c in n i rf tUp r n n v n o h r Id w n f rhp T or placed in the collections of any institution or individual.