Document gaKYZMvpqD9NRpxp369X2g01q

> U.-1 CONFIDENTIAL Novem ber 12, 1954 M r. J. H. Sch aefer Ethyl Corporation 100 P ar k Aven ue New Yor k City 17 D ear Joh n : I h ave at hand variou s le t t e r s an d m em oran da received from you rself and Li D r . Bock , on th e p r ob lem o f plan t ab se n t e e ism , in clu din g you r l a st n ote (1 i- 9 - 5 4 ) with it s e n c lo su r e s. On w ord fr o m you by teleph on e th at th e lat t e r w as forth com in g, postpon ed m y r ep ly u n til it h ad been r eceived . I am glad to n ote th at a se r io u s attem pt is to be m ade to d eal with the ab n or m al r at e of ab se n t e e ism by th e cu ltivation of a soun d u n derstan din g am on g a ll con cer n ed . In ap p r aisin g th e p a r t th at ou r m ed ical st aff sh ould p lay in th e en t ir e m at t e r , I fin d m y se lf to be in com p lete sym path y, in p r in cip le , with th e p osit ion of D r . Bock , but not qu ite in agr e em en t with s ) h im in cer t ain d e t ails. P er h ap s I can m ake m y position c le a r to you an d a lso to h im an d M r . Bon d th rou gh th is com m u n ication , in th e fu ll r e c o g nition th at th e role to be played by the m ed ical staff w ill require' carefu l exam in ation an d a fu ll d iscu ssio n at a la t e r d ate, within th e m ed ical st aff an d a lso within the la r g e r grou p, in cludin g th m ed ical st aff. ! Th ere a r e , 1 b elieve, two sep ar at e prob lem s in th is situ ation , one of Li wh ich i s p a r t ia lly m e d ical in c h a r a c t e r , th e ot h er n o n - m e d ical. Th e f i r s t of th ese con cern s jo b placem en t. The fit n e ss of a m an fo r h is job in ph ysical an d ph ysiological t e r m s, in p ar t , is, a m edical problem , and to th e extent th at the ph ysician s can aid in brin gin g togeth er the requ irem en ts of the job and the capacity bf a m an to p erform it, the r esu lt m ay be a so u r c e o f sa t isfa c t io n to a ll con cer n ed . We sh ou ld be p r e p ar e d to do a ll U we can in th at d irection , a s a m ean s of reducin g the in com patibilities which le ad to d issa t isfa c t io n , i am in com p lete agr e em en t with th e p r o gr am of E sso in th is r e sp e ct , an d l am p r ep ar ed to look car efu lly into what we can do to in cr e ase our p r oficien cy in th at d irection . 1 m u st w arn m an agem en t, h ow ever, th at the lim itation s of m ed ical effor t s in th is direction ar e con si d er ab le. Th ere is a gr e at d eal of fu lsom e talk about th is m ed ical fun ction , but on ly a m odicu m of accom plish m en t, fo r a n um ber of r e aso n s which I sh all not attem pt h ere to d iscu ss. H ow ever, the respon sibility of an in d u strial ph ysician to str ive to ach ieve th e b est an d m ost sat isfactor y d isp osition of person n el within the w orkin g population of a plan t, is p ar t of h is jp b , fo r th e pr om otion of both sat isfact io n an d p r od u ctivity in th e d ay's work. Fj ' X * 0001063 CONFIDENTIAL M r . J. H. Sch aefer - (2) - N ovem ber 12, 1954 The oth er problem is th at of d isciplin e. Other th ings being settled, the m an who lik e s M s w ork does h is b e st to p er for m it , overcom in g m an y o b st acle s in th e p r o c e ss, but even so th ere a r e m alcon ten ts, p er so n s who a r e n atu r ally lazy , and m ore p ar t icu lar ly in th is per iod , th ere is an u n der lyin g str u ggle between ow n ers, m an ager s and lab or or gan isation s over the division of tiie proceed s of production . Th is stru ggle h as been in ten sified in ou r t im e , an d it can h e expected to go on fo r som e tim e to com e. The ph ysician is in du stry ia con cern ed with th e h ealth of th e people of an in du stry, an d with oth er m at t e r s r elatin g to th e p h y sical and m en tal h ealth of the com m un ity. He is in volved, of n ecessity , in th e econ om ic and so cial stru ggle o f ou r t im e, but he m u st not be a p arty to it within h is ran ge of p r ofession al ! f t ! d u ties. If h e becom es an in stru m en t of m an agem en t or lab o r , h e lo se s h is cap acity to act soun dly in m at t e r s r elat ed to h ealth , an d m or eover he lo se s h is com peten ce to v isu a liz e h is own p r o p er fun ction . He can n ot, t h e r e fo r e , , V, J.) con cer n h im se lf d ir e c t ly with m a t t e r s of d iscip lin e . Th ese a r e so le ly m an agem en t fu n ction s, an d the m ed ical m an , while an ad v iso r to m an agem en t in p olicies related to h ealth is not a p ar t of m an agem en t. At t h is tim e it is n ot e asy lo r th e m ed ical m an to d efin e h is position with r efer en ce to the d et ails of in d u str ial op er at ion s, becau se-th e sdan e is new J / to h im and ch an gin g. Th er efor e, h e m u st be th ough tful and con ser vat ive an d above ail exceedin gly j ealouo of the p r o fessio n al role which he m u st m ain t ain a t a ll c o st s. I would, aay th at we ia Eth yl Cor p or at ion , which h as 0 un ique p r ob lem s tc d eal with, in r elat ion to h igh ly h azar d ou s o p er at io n s, .-must be doubly cau t iou s. Y/hat som eon e e lse d o e s - su ch a s As so , or w h ose M ed ical D ir e ct o r I h ave the gr e a t e st r e sp e c t - is fr u it fo r con sid er at io n , but is not acceptable preceden t. I am p r ep ar ed , a s I am' su r e D r . Bock an d h is a sso c ia t e s at the plan t a r e , to exam in e ou r position an d p o licie s car efu lly an d in con cert with the exam in ation of th e wh ole plan t p r oced u r e in d ealin g with th is m at t e r . 1 am n ot willing, to be p r ecip it at ed into an y c o u r se of act ion which m ay jeo p ar d ize th e good w ill which we h ave bean so lon g ia buildin g am on g th e p eop le in th e plan t, b e cau se of a. p r e se n t econ om ic p r ob lem , o r b e cau se som eon e elsew h er e h as ap p ar en t ly con tribu ted som eth in g to th e solu tion of the econ om ic problem . We a r e w illin g to le ar n and w illin g to tr y, and above a ll we. a r e w illin g to en t er in to th e b r o ad con sid er at ion of t h is ad m it t ed ly se r io u s p r ob lem , in o r d e r to aid in th e ach ievem en t of a soun d an d con tin uin g solu t ion of it . I sh ou ld lik e to d isc u ss t h is sit u at ion with D r . .Wade an d h is a sso c ia t e s in E sso , to know t h eir p u r p o se s, p o licie s an d p r oced u r es an d to se c u r e fr o m th em t h e ir own a p p r a isa l o f what th ey h ave le ar n e d and. a c c o m p lish ed in th e p r o c e ss. Xknow D r . W ade w ell en ough to be su r e th at h e h as act ed car e fu lly in d evelop in g.a p olicy with the m ed ical st a ff at Baton Rouge, and that he w ill be looking cr itically at its application to determ in e its uc e ffe c t s. I th in k we m ay le ar n som eth in g v e r y u se fu l fr o m t h e ir e xp e r ie n ce . The for egoin g r e m ar k s,a sid e fr om th eir statem en t of the p r in cip les which 0001064 CONFIDENTIAL M r . -3> J. Sch ae fe r (3) - N ovem b er 12, 195 guide ou r p r o fessio n al act ivit ies a r e intended to su pport and in terpret, in m y w or d s, die com m en ts of D r . Bock on tile p r o p o sals p r esen t ed to h im . He, as befits h is im m ediate respon sibility for the daily work of the m edical st a ff of the plan t and h is exp er ien ce in daily con tact with th e people who act on the two opposed sid e s o f th is situ ation , ia m or e r e a list ic , I d ar e say , and le ss experim en tal in h is outlook than I am . I n eed not explain h is p osi Lion o r m ak e .an y ap ology fo r it , but I fe e l con st r ain e d to poin t out th at n eit h er M s at t it u d e'n or m in e can p r o p e r ly fee in t e r p r e t e d a s an u n w illin gn ess to coop er at e, in ev er y w ay th at d oes n ot con flict with o u r p r im ar y fu n ction , in fee solu tion of a p r ob lem of which we a r e n ot u n aw ar e an d to which we a r e not at ail in differen t. With k in d est r egar- sin cerely y o u r s,' CX 'o * it c h e r t A. ieh oe, M. iVXJS. p ..> V Dr. So y C. A. Bock & r. X. V. Kit sm iller ; HE 0001065