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FILE NAME Painters and Allied Trades PAINT DATE 1979 July DOC PAINT066 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Article from Painters and Allied Trades Journal T and Labor set OperaPrice Watch Photos Les Crandell Story Journal NEWS AND FEATURES page 7 Bacon A Special Report 12 A Look at IBPAT's 1964 Convention 14 IBPAT Presents point Job Health Program to Congress 25 IBPAT Poet is a Man for all Seasons DEPARTMENTS page Inside Front Cover From the General President 15 Local and District Council News 22 Canadian Labour 26 Sports and Recreation 27 Financial Report *fi Inside Back Cover The General Treasurer Reports DECORATING PAPERHANGING COVERING DECORATIVE AND ARCHITECTURAL GLASS WORK BRUSH MAKERS AND TO THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT IN GENERAL shy member or subordinate body blishing programs souvenirs or other ocuments of any description must not designate them as The Official Journal of Brotherhood or as The Painters and Biblication Trades Journal either upon the Biblication itself on their advertising contract forms or stationery obert J. Petersdorf ublisher ditor 50 New York Ave. N.W. ashington D.C. 20006 ublished monthly by the nternational Brotherhood of Painters and thorized Trades Second Class mail entry thorized at Washington D.C. ISSN 0030-9532 OSTMASTERS ATTENTION Change of address cards on Form 3579 hould be sent to THE PAINTERS AND LLIED TRADES JOURNAL 1750 New Ave. N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 Subscription Price 2.00 per year ingle copy 20 cents PRINTED ON UNION MADE PAPER PRINTED WITH UNION MADE INK S. FRANK RAFTERY General President 1750 New York Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 ROBERT J. PETERSDORF General Treasurer 1750 New York Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 VOLUME 93 No. 7 JULY 1979 The official journal of the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades organized March 15 1887 and the only publication issued under its auspices ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION PRINTED IN U.S.A. General Vice Presidents BERNARD SNIEGOWSKI 1st District 1443 Westchester Boulevard Westchester III 60153 A. L. MONROE 2nd District 7909 Bayberry Drive Alexandria Va 22306 JAMES WOLFORD 3rd District 100 Devon Lane Williamsville N.Y. 14221 JACK T. COX 4th District 2212 DuPont Drive Irvine Calif 92664 GUY LEBER 5th District ' 1930 Bishop Lane - Louisville Ky 40218 JAMES B. COX 6th District 8800 Blue Ridge Ext No. 10 Kansas City Mo. 64138 " WILLIAM A. DUVAL 7th District 1750 New York Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20006 ry IBPAT Presents Point Job Health Program to U.S. House As one of the recognized leaders in the area of occupational health and safety IBPAT was invited to present its recommendations before the Sub- committee on Labor Standards House Committee on Education and Labor which conducted hearings on occupa- tional diseases in Washington D. C. recently Chairman of the Subcommit- tee is U. S. Representative Edward Beard R.I who is a paying member of IBPAT ; General President Raftery assigned Francis X. Burkhardt IBPAT's re- Second many labels simply say for example Contains benzene which happens to be a known carcinogen per- Third some labels include a functory warning ... ... such as Harmful if swallowed or Use with ade- quate ventilation or Keep out of reach of children All of these terse warnings are grossly understated clues that the product contains something unhealthy . . . They do not begin to address the needs of workers who experience daily exposure over a working lifetime : . They call attention label must define control measures including personal protective equi ment PRODUCT TESTING - . . Uncounted millions have be spent to test the performance of pam and allied products But very little b been spent to test the health effec and safety of these products knowledge of the health effects been obtained How Through anoth kind of product testing that has search director and former assistant secretary of labor to present IBPAT's testimony The recommendations presented by IBPAT consisted of the following four points requirements for complete label- to short or acute effects such as eye irritation or skin rashes But in many instances the significant harm results from level exposure over repeated and sustained periods culminating in a variety of chronic con- ditions taking place in the paint and all trades The more cynical among call it field testing After ten fifty years the results of many of field tests are in chronic bronchin among 30 percent of painters allied tradesworkers examined by ing information for the products used in the paint and allied trades the issue of safety and health testing of a product prior to its introduction into the workplace the special requirements of jobsite monitoring in the construction trades the need for certification of workers in the paint and allied trades Following are some excerpts from Burkhardt's testimony Fourth in a very few instances manufacturers voluntarily provide complete information on the labels of their products . . . including harmful effects control measures and proper personal protective equipment . . . But these labels still leave us with a subtle and insidious problem That is a painter who reads a complete label will conclude that this particular paint must be exceptionally hazardous given the exceptionally complete informa- Selikoff Also discovered by Dr. Sa koff were high incidences of asbesto pleural changes opacities silico prenarcotic and neurotoxic symptom leukemia anemia pneumoconiosi tremors paralysis insomia blindne : central nervous system damage The time to determine the safety a product is before its introduction into the hands of includitor employers do not know whattan whattan is what harms it will cause or hie PRODUCT LABELING As painters and allied tradeswork- ers we walk into some of the most hazardous workplaces in America , blindfolded All we know about workplace duced cancers and other serious ill- nesses is based upon what happens to workers after they are exposed to various substances of Instead counting the bodies we would prefer to have the answers to some very simple questions What do we work with What does it do to us How can we protect ourselves from it Most of the time this information tion on its label and may very well opt instead for a product which con- tains the same substances but whose woefully inadequate label imparts a false sense of relative security . . . For this reason manufacturers hesi- tate to label their products on a vol- , untary basis The only solution is a comprehensive across labeling standard requiring three complete categories of information on each and every label One every label must list all ingredients . . Two every label must give complete warning of all known possible harmful effects . . . Three every to protect themselves from it ... A collaborative effort by industry SCEPAT entists and government port and recognition of the Toxic stances Control Act and the Occup tional Safety and Health Act be made to provide as muchfor knowledge as possible of a substanc impact upon human health and JOBSITE MONITORING - + Even today nine years OSHA's passage there are virtually is withheld from us First many labels list no ingredients whatsoever Appearing before the Subcommittee on Labor Standards House Committee on Education and Labor to present IBPAT'S recommendations were left to right Harry Heimann M.D. of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Francis X. Burkhardt IBPAT research director and Rod Wolford and Marilyn Larson IBPAT's health and safety education ex- perts Photos by Les Crandell 14 THE JOURNAL IBPAT Presents Job Health Program to U.S. House reliable ongoing efforts at monitoring measuring or sampling on worksites in the construction trades . . With a modest grant from the Oc- cupational Safety and Health Admin- stances of the paint and allied trades need to be certified Our proposal for certification entails four points Cont'd to manufacturers and contractors are willing to invest in processes products that protect the lives of istration IBPAT has begun to develop a program to train some of our local business representatives in jobsite monitoring measuring and sampling techniques . We believe that such a program of jobsite monitoring will provide a reli- able means for establishing the types and levels of exposures that can be 1 Certification would require that workers demonstrate knowledge about the nature of hazardous substances : with which they work and know the proper protective measures that must be used to avoid unhealthy exposures 2 Certification would require that workers use the proper measures and protections to remain certified . . . proper protective equipment is used on his jobs 2 No import products should be allowed into country that are made under workin conditions inferior to those in expected on certain kinds of categorized jobsites ... ... monitoring We have seen how programs like this are starting to have a positive impact in manufacturing in- dustries where the use of plant industrial hygienists is becoming more and more standard The construction industry can be guided through direct grant programs and carefully planned guidelines to a similarly positive posture toward the design of safe and healthful conditions on the temporary worksite . CERTIFICATION OF TRADESWORKERS . .. We have concluded that workers who handle the hazardous sub- U.S. Representative Edward Beard DR.I. chairman of the House Subcommittee on Labor Standards and a duespaying IBPAT member examines inade- quate labels of paint trade products Sald Chairman Beard This label warns not to swallow the product I don't know any painters who drink their paints _ 3 Certification would require periodic medical examinations for certain kinds of work to insure that a worker is not expriencing adverse effects from the products of the paint and allied trades 4 Certification would maintain limits on the number of hours that workers would be allowed to use cer- tain hazardous substances where applicable thereby keeping the worker's exposure within determined safe duration limits ... ... Certification would include an extensive training program in the numerous and complex health and safety hazards of the paint and allied trades such as the training provided by IBPAT through its OSHA Training Project It is very important that certification requirements apply to both the union and the union sector alike Without certification the public and the workers of the paint and allied trades will continue to pay the hidden costs of production These costs include hundreds of millions of dollars in annual losses from accidents injuries and illnesses These costs in- clude the millions of dollars in medical expenses devoted to caring for the victims of the illnesses of the paint and allied trades These costs also in- U. S. without a tariff added . The true cost of a product must and clude those areas of health safet that relate to the quality of life which we wish for ourselves and for ever one . A trols have comprehensive program of and encouragements such intend outlined here today can be intend grated into the paint and allied tradYou intelligently which is to say without serious economic displacement ... in the unionized sector of this indu try have moved steadily toward plementation of this type of program Health Committee whose member represent employer groups manufac turers scientists government and bor we have found that many many and ployer groups in the paint allied trades agree strongly with the probHe ciples of such a program However they do not feel they can unilaterally institute such measures unless are required board of every union and union Not is there an economic bias against industry unionized sector in this terms of safety and health control but we should also be careful recognize the potential bias again American industries which mustcom pete against foreign producers are often not required to demonstrate clude the loss of being and the the same concern for the quality suffering of families of workers who life of their workers are exposed And there is no doubt that these costs are paid by each of us everyday added to the costs of insurance takes medical care and products Job health and safety is a tremend ous national problem with ranging implications ,. . We believe that our nation has the 4 sources and the will to overcome ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS problem ... . We must have sanctions against employers who sacrifice the health and safety of their workers and endanger the lives of many Americans just to gain a competitive edge Further we must give our support The full testimony was prepared by Francis X. Burkhardt Marily Marily B. Larson Rod Wolford Donald N. Cagle