Document q8DkGpzqyvD3meLk2oN1kY5n

FILE NAME: General Electric (GE) DATE: 1932 May 27 DOC#: GE100 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to GE from National Founders Association RE National Safety County Report >teoetod9nwarcclsi3t.ctaiTsvtey*company Bcrw>rr,MtcH. carl tf.nerrsTtm* t>rn STOVC 1 MeAm ftUef.AeatV. WM ttJM A w r \ ra sto in o w crC BBC! ORANO C X H T n A U TtRMfwAU {U R H O K t HURRAY HUX 1S *S4 k S W YORK RKTVIAL H CfM ^aU eSSN pj& fl TRUST COM#AW eH re*o A,KM*uRreK> en<Aoa Secaa'Awr U.M.TAYU*. CMfCA OftOANIXSO l o s e OCNCKAU Otriev Bfi SOUTH LA $ A L L S T R E E T t c u e r h o n k f r a n k l i n >eas W fa m * Kay 7 , 1838 Er. Nelsdn J. Barling tsanager, G en eral E l e c t r i c company West X,ynn, Siass. Bear Er, Darling: NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL >Beport on H ealth p ro te c tio n in Sand blasting and K etal.A brasive B lasting You a r e no d o u b t , mo re o r l e s s f a m i l i a r w i t h t h e above mentioned report w ith referen ce to foundry dust hazard. On Ju ne 13th t h e E x e c u t i v e a n d A d m i n i s t r a t i v e Board, of the N ational Safety 'Counoil r i l l hold a meeting I n New York t o d e c i d e w h e t h e r o r n o t t h e r e p o r t s h a l l he p u b lish ed as o r i g i n a l l y w r itt e n o r 'i n amended form. Many o f t h e members o f t h e N a t i o n a l p o u n d e r s A s s o o i a - 1 t i o n whom we ha ve c o n s u l t e d i n t h e m a t t e r f e e l t h a t 'i n view of the a g i t a t i o n and l i t i g a t i o n pending and t h r e a t e n e d by p e r s o n s who c l a i m t o ha ve bad t h e i r h e a lt h im paired due t o fo u n d ry d u s t, smoke, gas and v a p o rs , t h i s i s no tim e f o r t h e N a tio n a l S a f e ty Council, or any other o rg a n iz a tio n , to bring out a report emphasizing the hazard of foundry dust, as such a rep o rt will only add fu el to the flam es, i s l i a b l e to cause u n lim ite d expense and damage to th e foundry in d u s tr y , and a t t h i s tim e can serv e no u s e f u l p u r p o s e . fle f e e l , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t t h i s r e p o r t should be held in abeyanoe by th e National Safety c o u n c il, and the whole s u b je o t be given f u r t h e r con sideration. T h e r e i s a rumor t o t h e e f f e c t 't h a t Dr. C. S , A. Winslow, p ro fesso r of p u b lic H ealth, Yale Ke&ieal. S c h o o l , New Haven, C o n n . , o n e o f t h e a u t h o r s o f 1 r e p o r t f o r th e N ational S a fe ty c o u n cil, and Dr. Leonard Greenburg,* fo rm e r ly of th e u n ited s t a t e s Department of H ealth, have been engaged by th e American H a d ia to r Company t o do c o n s i d e r a b l e r e - OC *1loci nnnnn H JJ> #2 s e a r c h work f o r them. P r o f , Winslow ad ]>r. nreenburg are p a rtic u la rly in s is te n t th at the above mentioned re p ort he released fo r p u b lic a tio n . E x e c u t i v e s o f t h e G e n e r a l E l e c t r i c Company, we know, a r e i n r a t h e r c l o s e c o n t a c t w i t h ,Rr. C. IE. W o o l l e y , P resid en t of the Amerloan R adiator company, and th e p u r pose of th is le tte r is to request your assistan ce in r e a c h i n g p r o f . . Winslow an d D r. c r e e n b u r g , t h r o u g h Mr, Woolley, and p o in t gut to them th e r e a s o n a b le n e s s of the request of the foundry industry th a t th is re p o rt be held in abeyance and given fu rth e r c o n sid e ra tio n . Mr. c . S, H o y t, o f t h e A m e r ic a n F o u n d r y m e n ' s A s s o c i a t i o n , h a s j u s t o a l l e d t o my a t t e n t i o n t h e e n c l o s e d copy o f a news i t e m f r o m t h e New -York s u n o f May 2 3 r d , w i t h r e f e r e n c e t o e i g h t e e n s u i t s i n v o l v i n g $1,600,000 a g a in st R ochester, N . Y . . and M assachusetts c o n c e r n s , by i n d i v i d u a l s who c l a i m t o h a v e h a d t h e i r h e alth impaired due to dust conditions. Your Mr, B a l l a r d i s ' q u i t e f a m i l i a r w i t h t h i s s u b je c t and also with th e ca la rm in g number o f damage s u i t e now pending i n t h e Middle w e s t. I t seems to us th a t any re p o rt spread^broadoast by the N atio n al Safety council c a llin g a tte n tio n to silicomi or the danger from foundry d u s t, smoke, gas and vapors, can serve no useful purpose a t th e p resen t tim e, and in a l l p ro b a b ility w ill tend to promote more w idespread and extended li t i g a t i o n ; This p a s t week, one of our members i n Wis consin .has succeeded in winning a s u it fo r damages b r o u g h t by a m o l d e r who o l a i m e d i m p a i r e d h e a l t h d u e t o s i l i c o s i s , b u t who ha d n e v e r b e e n em plo ye d i n th e Cleaning Department. The expense of th e l i t i g a t i o n , how ever, w i l l p r o b a b l y c o s t t h e company- i n excess of $15,000, as they were obliged to b rin g i n some of t h e most e m in e n t p h y a i o i a n s i n t h e United sta te s to support th e ir case. I t i s u n n e c e s s a r y f o r me t o m e n t i o n t o . y o u the active in te r e s t the if.F.A. has taken fo r more th a n 25 years in promoting s a f e t y in th e fo u n d ry , a s y o u r Company h a s p l a y e d a v e r y i m p o r t a n t p a r t in th e A s s o c ia tio n 's work in t h i s re g a rd . We f e e l t h a t i f p r o f . Winslow and 3>r. c r e e a b n r g would n o t 'i n s i s t t h a t t h i s r e p o r t be published, which they were la r g e ly in stru m e n ta l in p re p a rin g , th a t the A d m in istrative Board of the GE MUSEUM 0001Q U5 #3 N ational Safety c o u n c il could be induced to hold th e n a tte r in abeyance and give th e su b ject f u r t h e r c o n s id e ra tio n . GE MUSEUM 00011 (pram New York Sua, Monday, May 23, 1932) 1 8 'SK J l , 6.00,000 AS SILICOSIS PREY l a w y e r SayB Sand B l a s t e r s T i l l M e o f Malady R o c h e s t e r , May 23 (A. P ) Damage a c t i o n s I n v o l v i n g to ta l claim s c f $1,600,000 have bean s t a r t e d here by s i x t e e n R o c h e s te r .and two M assa c h u se tts men who a l l e g e that they contracted s ilic o s is through wearing defective p ro te c tiv e apparatus w hile sa n d -b la stin g fo r two lo c a l ooncer** The M erchants Despatch T r a n s p o r t a t i o n Company I s named a s d e f e n d a n t In f i f t e e n o f t h e a c t i o n s and th e Kastman Kodak Company i n one The M a s s a c h u s e t t s p l a i n t i f f s a r e c a o r g e T a l l i e r e o f N o r t h Adame a n d J o h n B`. M i l l e r o f r o a s t e r . T h e i r a t t o r n e y , W i l l i a m 2 C l a y , s a y s t h a t t h e men e v e n t u a l l y w i l l d i e o f th e malady. They see k $100,000 each* D e f e n d a n t a t t o r n e y s i n some o f t h e a c t i o n s m aintain th a t the- cases a re covered by the workmen's c o m p e n s a t i o n l a w , w h i l e W. Clyd e O' B r i e n , r e p r e s e n t i n g the Kastman Kodak company,' has moved f o r d i s m i s s a l of the- com plaint a g a i n s t th a t concern on the ground th a t th e company i s c o v ered by in su ra n c e a g a i n s t euch a olaim. GE MUSEUM 00012