Document Z4O7pbQOxKB6pKbxne1ZKOv97

S AF E TY COMMITTEE OH. Lewis CHAI RMAN Et h y l Ga s o l i n e Co r p o r a t i o n Gi i r y s l e h B u i l d i n g 405Lkxingt on Avenue J Se w Y o r k O ct o b e r k , 19 3 7 MEMORANDUM TO Dr. E. A. Keh oev D r . G. E d ga r Mr. H . W. K a le y Mr. J ohn Sch a efer Gen tlem en : The fo llo w in g i s a r e p o r t b y J o e C o s t e l lo on t h e in c id e n t t h a t o c cu rred in tan k clea n in g a t J a ck s o n ville , F lo r id a : "The fo llo w in g co n ce r n s th e in c id e n t w h ich o ccu r r e d a t J a c k s o n v ille d u r in g th e p a s t week wh ere i t was r e p o r t e d t h a t one o f th e em p loyees o f th e Sta n d a r d O i l Com pan y ;of K e n t u ck y h a d sh own e v id e n c e s o f u n u s u a l i l l n e s s a f t e r h a v in g w o r ked in a t a n k a t th e T a lle y r a n d Aven u e T e r m in a l wh ich was b e in g clea n ed . "Th e f i r s t in fo r m a t io n t h a t we h a d o f t h i s c a s e wa s r e p o r t e d t o J oh n M u r p h ey Mon day, Sep t em b er 27t h . The w o r k o f c le a n in g t h e t a n k b e g a n Mon day, Sep tem b e r 20t h , a n d co n t in u e d u n t i l Wedn esday, Sep tem b er 22n d . At th e tim e t h a t t h i s t a n k wa s c le a n e d , 11 men w e r e e m p lo ye d , 7 o f whom w o r k e d i n s i d e t h e t a n k a n d , in a d d it io n , t h e for em a n Mr. B . C. D o w lin g, h a d o c c a s io n t o go in s id e t h e ta n k a ft e r i t was cle a n e d t o in s p e ct th e w e ld in g work wh ich was don e. Of t h e men em ployed, in t h i s w o r k , t h e r e wer e o n ly 3 who w er e r e g u la r e m p lo yee s o f t h e S t a n d a r d .O il Com pan y o f Ke n t u ck y - t h e fo r e m a n a n d 2 t e r m in a l e m p lo ye e s . The o t h e r s wer e h i r e d f o r t h e jo b , a n d n on e o f them h a d h a d a n y p r e v io u s e x p e r ie n c e in t h i s w o r k . T h e r e w e r e a l s o 2 w e ld e r s who w e r e in t h e t a n k a f t e r i t h a d b e e n c le a n e d , t o make some n e c e s s a r y r e p a ir s . Mr. M h Cooley w a s p r e s e n t when th e t a n k c le a n in g began and o b se r ve d th e com p lete o p e r a t io n u n t il th e tim e t h e w o r k was co m p le t e d . He sa w t o i t t h a t t h e men wor e a l l t h e e q u ip m e n t r e q u ir e d in ou r r e g u la t io n s an d a ls o , in s e v e r a l in s t a n c e s , r e q u ir e d some o f t h e men who h a d g o t t e n wh a t h e c o n s id e r e d u n n e c e s s a r i l y d i r t y , t o wa sh a n d ch a n ge t h e ir c lo t h in g d u r in g th e o p e r a t io n . At th e tim e he made h is r e p o r t , he s t a t e d t h a t i t was h is o p in io n t h a t due t o th e f a c t t h a t t h e s e men w er e n o t t r a in e d in ta n k cle a n in g , th e y had co n sid e r a b le d i f f i c u lt y in becom in g accu stom ed to t h e m asks an d o t h e r eq u ip m en t, an d h e was h a r d p u t t o keep them from g e t t i n g d i r t fr om t h e t a n k on t h e i r s k in s a f t e r t h e y h ad come o u t . T h is wa s d u e t o t h e ir in exp er ien ce in h a n d lin g th em selves u n d er co n d itio n s where th e y had to b e c a r e fu l t o keep s o i l e d c lo t h in g from com in g in co n t a ct w it h t h e ir han ds an d f a c e s . H owever,; th e wor k p r o g r e s s e d s a t i s f a c t o r i l y a n d a t th e tim e i t was fi n i s h e d , t h e r e was no in d ic a t io n t h a t a n y o f t h e men h a d b e e n e xp o se d in a n y degree wh atever4 0021.128 Memorandum t o Sa fe t y Committee - 2 - O ctober H, 1937 "At t h e t im e t h a t J oh n M u r p h ey was in fo r m e d t h a t one o f t h e men b a d "b e c ome i l l , w h ich was t h e fo llo w in g Mon day, he was t o ld t h a t t h i s man, M H H H V one o f t h e t e m p o r a r y e m p lo ye e s , h a d n o t "been a b le t o s le e p f o r s e v e r s u ^ S ^ ^ ^ S llo w i n g t h e d a y h e h a d b e e n w o r k in g in t h e t a n k . The S t a n d a r d O i l Company d id n o t take i t s e r io u s ly and req u ested make no r e p o r t o f i t . H owever, sin ce th is slee p le ssn e ss and eess^ ^ n er vo u sn ess in d ica te d the p o s s ib ilit y o f o ccu p a tio n a l illn e s s , Mr. W ^ B in s is t e d upon r e p o r t in g i t to t h is o ffic e . Th is in fo r m a tio n * o f co u r s e , r a l^ ^ Kin sm itte d t o you and a ft e r X r e ce ive d yo u r in s t r u c t io n s , b o th Mr. M cCooley and I go t to J a c k s o n v ille th e fo llo w in g m orn in g. " A ft e r t a l k i n g t h e m a t t e r o v e r w i t h Mr. J oh n Down in g, t h e D i s t r i c t Mana g e r , who h a s s u p e r v is io n o v e r t he T a l l e ^ reand T e r m in a l, i t was d e c id e d t h a t who wa s e v i d e n t l y i l l , who h a d a l s o co m p la in e d o f i n s S ^ ^ ^ ^ t o s le e p , sh ould! b e e x a m in fa ^ ^ ^ n e S t a n d a r d O il Com p an y's d o c t o r , D r . C. E . W ilc o x . I n a d d i t i o n , i t was a l s o d e c id e d t h a t a l l o f t h e o t h e r men who h ad ta ken p a r t in th e c le a n in g o f th e t a n k a n d who had s in c e b een l a i d o f f , sh o u ld b e r e - e m p lo ye d t h e fo l l o w i n g m o r n in g on some made wor k in o r d e r t h a t we wou ld b e a b le t o g e t a ch eck on t h e ir p h y s ic a l c o n d it io n w it h o u t un d u ly a la r m in g th em . A ft e r Dr. W ilco ^ ia ^ oe id e h is r ep o r t, i t was in d ica te d th a t was in good h ea lth and th a t was n o t. I rep orted h is fin d in gs b y tSep n on e to Dr. M a ch le in C i n c i n n a t i . On D r . M a c h le 's i n s t r u c t i o n s , I a s k e d S t a n d a r d O il Com p a n y t o h o ld t h e s e 2 men in t h e com pan y so t h a t t h e y c o u ld b e r e a c h e d l a t e r and a l s o t o keep a l l th e o t h e r men in v o lv e d , w o r k in g. Th is was done in o r d e r t h a t a l l o f t h e s e men w o u ld b e a v a i l a b l e when D r . K i t z m i l l e r a r r i v e d in J a ck s o n v i lle th e n ext d ay. "Upon t h e a r r i v a l o f Dr . K i t z m i l l e r , he made s u ch e x a m in a t io n s a s he c o n s id e r e d n e c e s s a r y a n d r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e r e was n o i n d ic a t io n t h a t e it h e r o f th e men in q u estio n had b en a ffe c t e d in a n y way. E vid e n t ly, ^ M k e r v o u s system had been ve r y b a d ly u p set b y the a ffe c t of w ea rin g a ls o b y the n oise wh ich was made in s id e o f th e ta n k w h ile he was wor kin g t h e r e . A more com p lete r e p o r t on h is co n d it io n w i l l p r o b a b ly be made b y Dr. K it z m ille r . "Upon c o m p le t io n o f t h e d o c t o r ' s r e p o r t , i t wa s s u g g e s t e d t h a t S t a n d a r d O il Com pan y c o n t in u e t o e m p l o y a t l e a s t f o r a s h o r t t im e , in o r d e r f o r h im to g e t over the co n d itio n fr o ^ vm ich he was s u ffe r in g and n ot u n d u ly exa gger a t e i t b y t u r n in g him lo o s e a g a in w it h o u t em ploym en t. T h is th e St a n d a r d O il p e o p le a g r e e d t o do a n d t h e y a ls o a g r e e d t o k e e p t h e o t h e r men w o r k in g f o r a n o th er d ay in o r d er th a t t h e y cou ld be o b se r ve d fu r t h e r . M cCooley rem ain ed in J a c k s o n v i lle to k e e p ch e ck on a l l o f t h e s e men f o r a n o t h e r d a y a t t h e su g ge stio n of Dr. K it zm ille r . D r. K it zm ille r and I retu rn ed to Atla n ta la s t n i^ it . " I t i s t h e o b s e r v a t io n o f b o t h M cCo o le y a n d m y s e lf t h a t t h e S t a n d a r d O i l Com p a n y o f Ke n t u ck y i s b a d ly in n e e d o f a cr e w o f t r a in e d men t o h a n d le t h e i r tan k cle a n in g o p er a tio n s. In t h is v ic in it y , it so happens th at a t t h e ir t e r m in a l p o in t s t h e y em p loy so few men, t h a t t h e y a r e n o t a b le to g e t t o g e t h e r a cr e w o f t h e i r own e m p lo ye e s who h a ve h ad a n y e x p e r ie n c e w h a t e ve r in r e f i n e r y p r a c t ic e s to do a t a n k c le a n in g jo b . I t is n e ce s s a r y fo r them to go o u t s id e an d, a t th e p r e se n t tim e, due t o the co n d itio n o f the la b o r m arket, h ir e what a r e p r a c t ic a lly ! b o ys w it h n o t h in g b u t farm e xp e r ie n ce to do t h is t a n k c le a n in g w o r k . The Com pan y kn ows n o t h in g a b o u t t h e i r h e a lt h n o r do t h e y h a ve a n y in fo r m a t io n a s to! how t h e y w i l l r e a c t t o t h is t yp e o f w o r k . As id e fr om t h e d iff i c u lt y of i n s t i lli n g in them th e n eed o f p r o t e c t in g t h e ir h e a lt h , th er e i s Kt' 0021123 Memorandum t o Sa fe t y Committee -3- O ctober H, 1937 "a lw a ys th e d a n gb r o f some u n u s u a l o ccu r r e n ce su ch a s t h i s on e, wh ich co m p li ca t e s our sa fe t y; p rob lem s. I t is my in t e n t io n t o c a l l t h is m a tter to th s a t t e n t io n o f the! p eo p le in L o u is v ille w it h in the n e xt few weeks, d u r in g wh ich tim e I e xp e ct to; se e Mr. V i o le t t e , i f you con cu r w it h t h i s o p in io n . I r e a liz e you a r e p r o b a b ly in b e t t e r p o s it io n to p o in t i t out to the p eop le in L o u is v ille t h a n we a r e h e r e in A t la n t a . So f a r a s t h e J a c k s o n v ille D i s t r i c t i s co n ce r n e d , t h e y ga ve u s e v e r y c o o p e r a t io n a n d we i n t u r n made e v e r y e f f o r t n o t t o u n d u ly b u r d en them in h a n d lin g the m a t t e r . I f e e l t h a t in the fu t u r e , t h e y a r e go in g t o be even more s a fe t y co n scio u s a s a r e s u lt of t h is l i t t l e sca r e . "I t r u s t you a p p r e cia t e i t was n ot our d e s ir e to m a gn ify t h is in cid e n t , b u t r a t h e r t o k s e p da t o p o f i t t o b e s u r e t h a t we w e r e on t h e s a fe s i d e . I am su r e the f a c t t h a t Mr. McCooley was p r e s e n t d u r in g th e t a n k c le a n in g o p e r a t io n an d a ls o th e fa c t t h a t h e in s is t e d on t h e ir c a r r y in g ou t ou r h e a lt h r e g u la t io n s t o t h e l e t t e r , p la y e d a la r g e p a r t in p r o t e c t i n g t h e h e a lt h o f t h e men in v o lv e d in the w o r k ." : GCL 0 . S . LEWIS HE 0021130