Document bagdB5mmxb3m0ZEoRmjm1yrG1
FILE NAME: Asbestos Sacks and Bags (ASB)
DATE: 1965 Aug 24
DOC#: ASB032
DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Response to Memo RE Handling of Asbestos Fibre with Initial Memo Attached - Initial Memo States that there is No Danger to Dock Workers
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24th August. 1965.
M r. A .D .N . Jones.
Handling of A sbestos F ib re
Thank you fo r your m em orandum of 20th August.
M r. Howard and I discussed the position and then jointly saw M r. B att_ian. The outcom e was the adoption of a statem ent, fo r use in case of need, as per the attached.
I re tu rn herew ith D r. Knox's le tte r to you of 12th August, having m ade a copy fo r my ownlBle. -
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Handling of Asbestos Fibre
T u rn e r & Newall L td .. like other m em bers of the Asbestos
Industry in the United Kingdom, have been aw are of the dangers of
asbestosis for very many y ears and were largely instrum ental in setting
up the joint re se a rc h body which keeps th is p ossible h az ard to health under
constant review . The various com panies in the T&N G roup receive asbestos
fibre in its crude o r only p artially opened state, packed in strong hessian
bags. T hey have s p a re d no expense o v e r the y e a r s in in sta llin g sp e c ia l dust
extraction and a ir purification plants in o rd er to rem ove from the a ir the
dust produced hy the subsequent fibre opening trea tm e n t. T he resu lt is that
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in som e of the factory a re a s the a ir is p u re r than in the atm osphere outside;
in a re a s in which th e re is danger from du6t re sp ira to ry m ask s a re provided,
the use of which elim inates any r is k . A ll m anufacturing p ro c e sse s a re so
organised as to reduce health hazards to the m inim um . The health records
of o p erativ es in T &N com panies co m p are well with th o se of o p erativ es in th e
generality of industry.
We believe that th e re is no d an g er to th e h ealth of dockers who handle the hessian bags containing crude o r p artially opened asbestos from our m ines, provided the bags a re not split o r b u rst by the c a re le ss use of hooks o r som e sim ilar accident. Heavy concentrations of dust a re unlikely unless bags a re damaged in this way. N evertheless, we a re accelerating existing plans for the provision of im perm eable bags which w ill, quite apart from any health factor, m ake this cargo m ore pleasant to handle.
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