Document kwr1YLrmpxzwyDVQN2MDdLOy

FILE NAME: Z//E DATE: DOC#: /E DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION:ZZ/&ZZ Z,&ZZ> Impending Proliferation of A;bestos / 401 APPENDIX INTERVIEW wrrn A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF HINDUSTAN FERODO, LTD. Hindustan Ferodo, Ltd. manufacture; a number of asbestos p10ducts at its factory in Bombay, India. The plant was built m 1956. Turner and Nev.all Ltd of Manchester, England-the largest asbestos enterpnse in Western Europe--owns 74 percent of the share capital of Hindustan Ferodo. The mterview which follows, conducted in March 1980, describes workmg conditions and busmess piactices in the Bombay plant. Q: What products are produced and how much? A There are two d1v1sions to the plant. One produces about 250 tons a month of brake and clutch linings. The other manufactures a wide variety of asbestos textiles, from heavy webbmg mat to finer yarns (about 125 tons a month). Q: Which were exported to where, and how much., A: Production has been held to less than full capacity, despite ample demand. Domestic and export markets are strong, but there 1s a shortage of asbestos, which must be imported. Hindustan Ferodo imports about 95 percent of its asbestos, predominantly from Canada and, until recently, from Rhodesia. Most of the products are consumed domestically; about 5 to 10 percent are exported, with the major destmations bemg Sri Lanka and Suuth Asia. Until rwo or three months ago, both textile and frict10n matenals were ;hipped to the Umt~d Kmgdom. However, th1; has stopped because of capacity problems and obJect10ns about madequate packa.gmg at British docks. Q. Are the products labeled as to possible health haza1ds? A. There's no mdication on any product that 1t may I.Jc hazaraou:. to healrh. Q: I've been told that the products mu1t he sluppeJ in unmarked conta111en, as there have been problems unloading the.1.: ;/11pmems 111 the We;t. f; tlus true? A. It is true that the company has been having problems, pa1 ticularly with webbing and friction matenals sent to the U.K., where there are very ;trmgent packaging requirements. The products must be triple-packt:d in polyethylene so that there will be no leaks due to container damage dunng shipment. They weren't packagmg it this well, and as a result several consignment; were returned. They stopped exporting to the UK. two or three rnollths ago, for this reason [it mcreases the cost]. and because they have such a domestic demand that they don't need to export to the United Kmgdom. They haven't had any ;uch problems m Southea;t Asia and Sri Lanka, so they're not tripk-packaging any shipments to those dreas. Q. Are the workers informed of the nature OJ the hazard and, If w. are they told of preventive measures? A No, they're not told at all. Vutually nu one ts told, m fact. Not on1y are the 402 I Castleman and Vera Vera workers not told, but even management personnel are net informed about eny workplace hazard. Ventilation systems are poorly maintained. Dust o i the floors is just swept up dry with a broom, instead of a wet mop. The wo:i:ers even !lave the idea, which management does nothing to dispel, that if you drinic akoho!ic cl.inks, the asbestos won't do you any harm. A lot of the workers are heavy drinkP-rs. Q: Are there workplace standards for asbeHO fibers? JJ so, ..vizat arP they and what is the penalty /qr nnn-compliance? Are the \\NJrkplace.1 monitored regularly and how? A: [He has no idea what standard~ there are or what the penalty 1s for noncompliance.I They do take dust counts on a relatively regular basis. The dust levels in many spots in the factory are easily visible, with much dust in the air in some of the operations. Hence, although there is some air monitoring, there appear to be no hygiene stimd.irt:ls maintained. Q: What protection JS given to the workers? A: The workers are given uniforms, which they leave at the shop and which are laundered every two to three days. The same locker is used for work clothes and street clothes, however. The fluffing and the carding operations are the most dusty. It's very visible, 11s dense 1ts the dust m the air behind a bus on a dirt road in dry season. These areas are enclosed, and workers are supposed to wear respirators of the cannister type. However, they generally avoid this, because they're not given any indication that this dust is extremely hazardous. As far as they know, it's just very unpleasant to breathe because it's so thick. So the workers often avoid the respirators because of the discomfon of wearing the face masks for hours. It's only in these two operations, the fluffing and carding, that cannister-type respirators are provided. The rest of the workers in the plant are given cloths that resemble surgical masks-a piece of cloth tied around the head with strings. Except for top management officials who wear them every time they go into the work area, few employees use these devices. Generally, unless the dust is really a nuisance, clogging up the nose and ~o forth, no face mask is worn. There are no notices anywhere in the plant warning against the dangers of excessive dust inhalation. There is also a sort of hazard pay scheme in effect. Workers in the fluffing operation and in the carding operation get a 5 percent "inconvenience allowance" (this has been in effect for the last two years). It's called an "inconvenien,ee allowance" because they have to put up with the inconvenience of wearing respirato~s. Q: What is the medical monitoring program and when was it implemented? A: They've had medical monitoring since around 1970. Once or twice a year each production worker is screened. There is no screening for office personnel, and no one in the office is ever told anything about what the screening is for. Workers are simply taken off the job for a couple of hours, put in the company van and driven up to the medical building, given an X-ray and sent back. The workers are not told of the results. They just view it as a way of getting out of a couple of hours of work. The workers know nothing about the medical records kept by the company. ... . - Impending Proliferation of Asbestos / 403 Q: How is asbestos dust generated, captured, and ultimately disposed of? A: The plant is a fairly dusty place. Asbestos is received in polyethylene bags, cutters do not wear dust respirators, though which are cut open with a knife. The sack s cloth masks. Workers slice the bags open, then they flip them soovmere awndearemthpetyusethleesm. The asbestos cnocmeestooutht elikmeacahibnleorcyk., Oavnedrwishetolmsseedd eoxnhtaousat conveyor belt which ventilation is used in goes a short dista some dusty areas. All the suction ducts lead into a room outside ylene of the plant. This equipment is designed to pack and used instead, which seal the dust in polyeth leak dust profusely. The area bags; unfortunately, jute bags are is like a dust storm. "Outside" contract laborers are used in this area, and they are are com- given no respiratory protection, no uniforms, no medical check-ups. They look like they work in a flour mill, white from head to pletely covered toe. The sacks in dust and of short-fiber waste dust are taken out by truck and just dumped nicipal council nheasarboybjebcetseiddetoa tshmeadllumstrpeianmg,. aInnd tchoenslaesqtuecnotulpylebigofpimleosnothfsp, utrhee amsbuestos wastes are accumulating in the factory yard. Q: Are there ever visitors at the plant, who observe typical operations? A: When visitors are expected, extra cleaning workers are hired, and the dustier operations are shut down for awhile to clean up the plant. Direct reprint requests to: Mr. Barry I. Castleman Box 230-A Valley Road Knoxville, Maryland 21758