Document n9znb2NEbqM0OdgVJGnV854kG

OCCUPATIONAL KfAlTH HAZAFLSS / Every Individual who applies for employment with tha irwtrong Cork Company, or any other company for that matter, expects, if accepted and given ork, to bo mble to perform the duties aa*igted him without impairing hla health or shortening hla Ufa expectancy. In accepting this indiTiduml as an employes tha Company takee on tha re a ports lbility of providing thla aafe working entlronment. It obligates itaelf to provide a Job fraa from any condition which concalTably could affect the employee's health. j y Aside from thia moral obligation of tha employer there la also a legal responsibility to proTide aafe working conditions on Jobe, federal and moat 3tate laws are quite specific on this and leare little room for doubt. As an example, hare la the wording of a part of the Health Code rrom one of the states in which vs operate! *111 dust, fumes, vapors, gases, fibers, fogs, mlato, or other atmoaphsrlc Impurities that, in connection with any pngnio of manufacture or use, are created in, eaitted into, or disseminated . through areas where persona are employed, in such quantities an In - . tha Judgment of tha Department would tor eight) tend to injure the . health of employees, shall be removed by means of suction derlcee at their point of origin or by other means acceptable to the Efepert- ment, / "Then required by the Department the employer ahall hare de terminations made of the kind and amount of the atmospheric Imparities from m sample taken under conditions and at a point or points ln- dlcstsd by tha Depertaent, This ahall bo performed by an analyst qualified for the purpose, f "The quantity of any lnpurities an shown by the determinations shall not bo of an amount considered by the Department to be in jurious to the health of eaployeea." jf Should an eaployee 1 e1 health become impaired despite the precautions taken to protect hla he oust be paid compensation in most states. These occupa tional diseaaa cases are frequently both serious and lasting In their effect, Roco Tory is of ton quite aloe involving extensive medical costa and prolonged coapeneation payments . Our first contact with the subject of occupational dleease should occur during tha prel Iniitary or screening interview of each prospective Job applicant. That was his specific occupation with hla previous employers and might his duties have exposed him to toss particular material or condition known to be dangerous to human health? Did he ever work for a mining company or in a foundry where he wes exposed to silica bearing dusts? Or, perhsoo his previous Job,was with a battery concern or a pigment and paint manufacturer whore lead fumes and dust were prevalent. All of thia mar seem rather remote but we must not overlook the fact that indlriduala with an occupational health impairment due tc a previous Job can become real problem cases to a later aployor. ' Tour friend and nine In preventing the development of a health hazard n tho plant Is jour Plant Chief Chemist, Seek his guidance and cooperation in C-] PLAINTIFF'S $ EXHIBIT r 10^*7 3 rig curtain that hazardous materials which can sflect the employee's health do not get unnoticed Into the plant. Practically every Material you use haa bean experl Men ted with and tested by the P'1ant Chief Chemist before It was finally decided to Include It as a part of a Process Specification. It Is proBurned that you are aware that each of these Froceeo Specifications Issued by your Plant Chief Chemist beam the following atatenant: "All fire end health hazards connected with the operation or opsrttlo&a cowwrod by this specification have been checked and none la hollered to exist except where specifically Mentioned." Kewer lot hie overlook this statement'. Keep hi well-reminded and always conscious of his responalbility In helping you protect the health of plant employees. Tour Plant Purchasing Department Jointly with your Plant Cheatst can also be a real help to you in prerentlng hazardous materials getting unnoticed into the plant. If you hare a doubt about soote specific Material of chemical sink your Purchasing Depertaent to secure a statement from the supplier aa to rrhsthar or not It presents a health hazard and If so what precautions are "'sceesary In its use. In fact this Is standard procedure with some firms and lost a necessity since some materials are sold under brand names with their chnlcal terminology well concealed. If you hare a question on a certain raw Material you uaa don't hesitate to request Information on Its posoiblw hazards from the supplier. Other Members of your so-called health hazard staff can bo your Plant Doctor, tha Plant Morse, or eren your First Aid Hen. These lndirlduala may appear on the scene after the act but nevertheless they can be of help. When an employee first aherwa algne of a health Impairment your Plant Doctor or the Plant Hurse will probably be the first person to notice the condition. Since this condition in most casos Is In its early stages simply removing tha lndlwldual from tha exposure will oftentimes effect an immediate cure. Once they hays recovered, however, be cautious in allowing these lndiriduala to return to their former Job. Often they may hare become allergic, especially In dermatitis cases, and quickly become involved again. Their becoming the victim of a health lapelrnent should also be your cue that something is wrong mnd a careCul Investigation la in order, ^lany of the better firms today put warning labels on the outside of tha packages of their materials which under certain conditions may represent either a fire or a health hazard. Look for those labels, they will help you dotemlnw the type of hazardous chemical contained In thn package, Its potential haiarda and the precautions neceosary In its handling. Their use Is advocated by the kanufacturlng Chemists Association and several States have enacted legislation requiring them./ Ckilte a number of additional states are pla-nriLrig po33 th o oojo Iowa oJnd when tbio beesaej gcuoral jjracLS.cn our proble* In identifying d*ngerouj naterlaLa will be considerably eased. ^A further possibility for the correction of a health hazard is the substitution of a non-torln material for one that la towle. Do not acccot too easily a atatrewnt that this Is lnpooslble. It nay be difficult or even Impractical In some case? but experience has shown that there are many formulas hare equal quality can be maintained even though subatituto chemicals taka o place of others. Approach the problem by asMnc what. could bo don* If It f vociBo laposslblc to secure a sufficient qutntity nf the material believed to C-2 0 Cj rM.j 1i M r ,' txj dangerous to health. Ton may often find that a few quootlona can txnemj-th iom tor-prising possibilities in this connection. Perhaps the aubetltute may coat a little more but this can often be More than offset ebon weighed against the coat of exhaust ventilation or other Mans of control for tbe dangerous aatsrial .y - 1 " , 11 noa t all of oar operitlona which uae a material in a finely-ground state, at soma atage in tbe process combine this dust with a liquid such aa an oil or water. Sometiaea thin procedure can bo turned to advantage in helping to minimi** a health baaard or to improve tmpieilbant working condition*. Tbe dost can be vetted down by the oil or water or converted into an emulsion in a small area aet aside Just for this purpose. This small area or room usually can be exhausted much more cheaply and effectively than could a large one. Or again, the eaployee can roar a respirator while preparing this eaulaion Tor later inclusion with the bulk batch. It may bo possible to go even one step further and weigh off the emulsion to the exact amount required for each batch thereby in no way entailing an extra expense for the additional operation. ' Many plants which nae lead oxide or other equally baxardous materials in. their processes have found a rather unique way of doing the job aafoly. Prior to actual usage in the process, the lead oxide is weighed off, packaged d aoaled in a pile?--film bag in an Isolated room with all the necessary male-- trds. This measured quantity in the pllo-- film bag is then taken to the ^jroceos operation whore it is added to the batches with tbs container still unopened. Sines the plio--film will readily dissolve under low heat It presents no problea in the process. Perhaps this procedure may be applicable to some particular process in your* plant, /" Next in order as a means of control for a health hazard is tbe exhausting of the dusts; vapors or fuses from the work are*. Such an inatallatlon is usually a rather costly item If it is done properly. While the design and volume of air handled by an exhsus t aysten can generally be left to the Judgment of ventilating engineers we should still have an interest in its layout. Check the manner in which the toxic material le moved away from the breathing jone of the eaployee, i?oae Very elaborate and expensive exhaust installations do a very poor Job in this respect. This is prlasj-lly because they are moving the toxic materials from their point of origin pest the em ployee'* noae rather than away from his breathing ion*. Whore auch a con dition prevails good moDey b-ao been n^Hit with little or uvthlug gained^ In a poorly designed exhaust system there is also the problea of two or more Tans having a battle between themselves* This aay Bound a tit ridiculous but it is a very important factor wherever several fans are in operation. for example, a fan in the South wall and another in the North wall pull in opposito directions. In almost every instance, midway between tbeae two faDo there is - a zone of conflict whore the air ia practically dead and not moving in any particular direction. Several years ago in one nf our plants wa found ar? excellent illustration of such a condition. If one fan was shut down and the other left running the shut-down fan lomediately started idling in a backward direction indicating an inward ale movement . When a test vaj made of the solvent vapors in the room with both fans running, at the midway point we found an eztromely blfh cencen tr it ion . >s a result of tneso tests both fans were put in the asms wall and *n almost miraculous improvement was noted in the removal f the vapors . C-3 r.i fi to  X final point In connection with exhaust systems has to do with their " 1 "fflnnnM and operation. Too often It is found th*t ventilation installation has bean Bade and then completely forgotten. Any installation of this nature must be given attention If maxface efficiency is expected. There is always the posalblilty of lint, dust, paint or condensate building up and clogging the duct work. Also, If the fan Is discharging Into a dust collector the screens Bay fill up and create back pressure If they are not rapped down regularly. The fan driving belts Bay also stretch resulting in excess shippage and a lost In air MTtauti Haay things of this nature cam happen and thetr prevantloB hinges on a regular thorough inspection program. Just this year In one of our plants, a condition was obeerred which Illustrated very well the next point. This has to do with the action* of the employee himself. In this particular Instance ths employee was dumping bage of wood pulp Into a hopper of a nearby machine. This fellow happened to be Just the reverse of a neat orderly worker. He threw the bags onto the hopper, dumped them too fast for Its capacity and finished off by Hiring the emptT beg a flip throwing a cloud of dust Into ths air. Hie machine was corered with dust and ths man himeelf could hare been mistaken for a pile of wood flour. This employee was orardue for a refresher course in Job training, kith Just a reasonable amount of care he could have almost entirely eliminated the dost om this Job. / / The Item of possible controls for health haxarda has purposely been kept for the very last. This is because it should he your final resort when other sieana of correction la possible* Thla me ana the use of dust respirators. They hare a place in the control of occupational disease but let's reconoend their use only as a last resort. If you do make such a recomaendatlon, make certain the employee Is given a real factual reason for tha i_r a** when you uk him Vo w*wr oae f There la at this time and probably will continue to be certain materials used, handled or pro ceased in Company plants which present potential health hazards. Perhaps a brief explanation of sons of .them and the control* necessary for their safe use w 1,11 be of Interest. / One of the health hazards somewhat general to our Conpany plants Is from those materials which contain silica. This la rather an extensive list; Asbestos, Barytes, Clays, Dlcallte, Feldspar, Grog, Kaolin, Limestone, Magnesia, Soaostono, Slate Flour, Sand, Serpentine, Tolonlte, Talc and many of the pigments. The clays and slate flours probably being among the highest In silica content and tost generally uied.y The effect of silica cn the huaan body Is eowewhat insidious in that It la a alow accumulative process involving anywhere fron a ten to twenty year exposure before the eoployes My develop a alllcotic condition in hi* lunpo. Medical authorities state that thla occurs in three progressive stages: 1 Stage: The disease at this stage produces no disability and does no arcroci&blc hem, Tho affected smn car: carry on his activities as wel. as ever ajvl if removed from the exposure will show no further developnent. J :COnd Stage: Rr ^ _ * '"a M mr. in affected. The taay b- b^therrd by C-4 Cx o o Co n CO r, Ttl_rd Stage: This stag* naj deTelop from the accord erer. if tha wlctlji has been removed froa the cauaitiYe dusty atnoapbere, . Labored breathing becotaes seTere and the wan ia particularly * - auaceptible to tuberculosis followed by complete disability * ' * . *' . . aod ororriudlIj- death._ .* 1 - ' Silicosis can bo dotected by Boars of choat x-rays. Bowsvar, tha x-ray alono should not bo the aole datermloing factor in diagnosing slllcosla. It wi i t h. rwlatwd to th* blob 1 s occupational and wadieol h 1 a to rj boforo any dafi-nlto conclusion is reached. Rven this is subject to error at times although this can bo minialxed soaowhat by haring suspected film chocked by . medical specialist with considerable experience In silicoaia diagnosis. The ooat ideal control Baaaure for a silica containing material la, ofeoursa; to fxirchaao it in bulk Torn in carload lota. Prow tho cor it con bo conveyed by raenun to oleratod closed tanks and then fed by grarity in closed piping to tha process where it ie used. - . . t .' ' .:y` ' Sobs of our raw materials do not land themselves to this sort of an arrangsoent because of tho small quantity used or tho coot factor. It in than necessary to buy tho material in packaged form and hand feed it into tie processes. This meaner of handling invariably generates considerable dust hich oust be controlled in order to protect employees. The usual method of S doing this ia by the installation of an exhaust system with pick-up inlets at each point where the hoiardous material ia handled. Tour company baa spent tertral hundred thousand dollars during tho pant fifteen yeiirc for inatcllatlcnc of this nature. ' ^ One of these silica bearing materlala, aabestos, also presents ' another potential health hatard namely-- os be i to * 1 a . Its effect on the humaa lung is not too different free that of silica and eventually it will probably lose its identity an . distinct pulmonary affliction and be Included under the heading of silicosis. It is diagnosed much in the sane raanr.or as slllcosla and . the corrective waiures where a dust condition exists are parallel to that of silica bearing aiateriala . There, therefore, seems little need to go into further details cn tho subject of ashes toils./ Outside of the oil companies and perhaps the paint manufacturers , It is doubtful whether there ie sny one industry today that uses as many different solvents and in as large a quantity dj we do. lou can nemo eilmoBt any aolvent and we use in soroewhere In one of our Company processes. practically all of those solvents present a potential health hazard that most of then have a destructive effect or. the blood, kidneys , liver, heart, and the nervous system. They are also one of the leading causes of dermatitis due to their tendency to dissolve the natural protective skin oils and to Irrittte as 'all. ' in ' Solvents affect the human body primarily due to the inhalation cf their vapors. Since hu-.ar. blood has the affinity of absorbing solvent vapors some four hur Ired times faster than It 1'1 lake on oxyptn it e(Ji readily be understood w: y even lew c -jncer. tri t S orj can be dangerous. Because cf this it Is usually the bleed wwich Is fleet affect;! in that the >Mlt ar.d red cell count is lowered and Its henorlohlr or coag-j] atlor. character chanced radically. This is one of the first syrrLjxn which, the ne'.lcul profession Ir-Vs for when solvent y poisoning Is sconce te i. If this cha'ce In the blood ia detected in Its early o o nro ! stages the reaxoval of the afflicted employee froa the exposure usually effocts a quid: recovery. Two solvents, benzol and carbon tetrachloride, hsrva bean found to present a somewhat greater hazard than aost of the others. Xa a result there baa keen considerable agitation on the part of industrial hygiene authoritloa to ell adnata their use wherever possible. Due to this action benzol is used to a wuch lesser extent than it was a few years ago. More recently a aiailar eupoXgn was started in regards to the carbon tetrachloride and eene progress baa already been Bade. Our Company baa gone along with theea novea and benzol is practically non-existent in other than laboratory work. Prog-re a a has also been aado in reducing the use of the carbon tetrachloride by substituting soae of the nswsr so-- called aofety solvents for cleaning purposes. . 1 solvent exposure can be controlled by exhausting the vapors froa their point of release directly to the outdoors. JLs was mentioned earlier thia should be dona hy pulling the vaporw away free tho anployoa rather than , past or across hda breathing zone. Soso benefit can also be attained by keep ing the exposed surface of the solvent to its minimum requirements and by keeping all containers covered whenever possible. Employees who handle or work with either solvents or oils should be itcbed carefully for evidences of dermatitis. This applies particularly to new employees since some persons are more susceptible than others. Slondoo for example frequently being more sensitive in this respect then are brunettea. Soae protection can, however, be provided through the use of one of the hand creams presently on the market. Certain of our Company plants use lead oxide while others use litharge ia ono or core of their processes. We aleo use a conelderable quantity of pigments soae of which contain lead. While the lead content of these pig ments is quite low, they do nevertheless present a possible exposure. Up to this tine, to the beat of our knowledge, wo have not had a Case of lead polaonlng among the many employees who have handled the pigments. We did, however, have one mild case in the handling of litharge which was largely brought about by the individual's flagrant disregard of a few simple rules. There are eeTeral manifestations of lead absorption: a. There may bo a disturbance of t.-.e digestive system In the form of a lack of appetite, cons ti patlen, vague abdominal disco*fort, and in a more advanced ease severe abdominal jxsins. b. Pain and stiffness in joints, bones and muscles. c. Gteneral weakness, loss of weig" ht, and pallor. d. Loos of strength In the fingers, hands end forearms, and inability to use then In a normal manner. . e, A flo-cellej lccd line or. the gums. W. Every employee "ho handles lead or Iced containing materials should be Uched carefully fer evidence cf there lcpilmcnU, Should you suspect an en* loyer of being involved discuss the case with your flant ibetor at once end be guided by his advice. . C- 6 tsb o Cl M to fj t/1 in While the plgaents >e use do contain lead It la Id such a flnail i quantity that no aerioua bayard la presented. Thera era, howerver, certain pre cautions which hoold be taken by the sen who handle then. a* lunches should not be itored on the Job or eaten without Tlrat .' washing the hands and face. ' b. ' The ub who weigh or aeasure off the batch quantities should turciii reuossble care In handling ths pig-wants so aa to arrold stirring np excessive dust. c. If possible the weighing off of the botch quantities should be . done at or near an exhaust arc-tea Inlet. . In thoea location! where lead oxide or litharge la handled the pre cautions nnat be aach Bore stringent. ' l .. .. - a". . The weighing off of the batch quantities should either bo - , done outside or directly in frontof an exhaust ayetaa Inlet. . b. ... - Therwrer possible, the quantity necessary for a ohlft run should be prepared by one wan at the beginning or prior to ths start of the shift so that when he has completed the Job be can Immediately wash hia hands and face. Particular attention should be given to the removal of deposits under the finger aalla by the use of a head brush* C. The wees tired quantity for each batch should be pieced in o plio-- film bsg.ao ta to permit its being added to the process without further direct contact with the load. d. A rubberised apron should be worn by the eoployee so as to ainiwlie the accumulation of lead on his work clothing. e. The use of an approved type of reaplrator should be manda tory to prevent the Inhalation of tha.lead dust. f. Onder no condition should the employee be permitted to eat food while he la weighing off or before ha has washed his hands and face. The same provisions apply to chewing tobacco, onuff and smoking. g. Foods p chewing tobacco or candy should not be stored In the work area or carried in the clothing of the workman. ^ h. The dust respirator worn by the employee should be dismantled at least weekly and *11 parts, other than the filter, thoroughly scrubbed with soap and water. i. Excellent housekeeping should be maintained in the work area. A vacuum ayaten to clean UP the spilled dust is preferabls. If not available a sweeping compound or oolat sawdust can be used. We have covered only a very few of the materials ua ed in Company Plants ch present a potential health hazard. There era many nore of then perhopa not G-7 Cj C.J o 0 -7 (7 so general or used la as greet a quantity. ^It la our Job to know these materials, satisfy onrseirea they Bust be used and when there is no other1 alternatlTe make sore that proper precautions are In effect for the protection of ocployoes. *e ust be certain of this by haring dust counts and Taper concentrations taken at regular lnterrals Just to be sure that we are not exceeding the maximum allowable concentration for me particular materiel. The employee too should be glean cheat x-r*ya, blood counts end urine analysea where indicated as a further precaution and to detect a possible lpalrent while still in its curiae tire atags. lou are not alone In this rlgll for the protection of your plant employees. Consult your Plant Chemist or the Plant Doctor at any time. Should thore be a question on a certain chemical ask its supplier for Information or you nay write the Rational Safety Council, the Industrial Hygiene Division of the D. S. Public Health Service, the Trarelers Insurance Company, our Boseareh and Dewelopnent Center, or to the Company Safety Director. Should you desire dust counts or vipor concentration readings taken on a certain operation, that too can be arranged. In eoae otates your State Public Health Senrlce will do It for you free of charge. If you are core rad for compensation insurance by the TraTelera, they will be more than glad to make thoae tests. There are, ... verrer, some locations where neither of those serrlces are srrallsble In which ot a consulting serrlce will bo necessary. At least find out what can be dona /ou hare a problem of this nature. Armstrong Cork Company 10/7/54