Document wgzYXrKVyRqRM4qNE5yak5eb3

FILE NAME: Railroads (RR) DATE: 1937 Apr 19 DOC#: RR035 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter RE Working with the Railroad Engineering and Shop Committee around the New IL Occupational Diseases Act COPY C h ic a g o , A p r il 1 9 th , 1937* M r, S , H, Schneider, Secretary, General Managers' A ssociation of 4-82 Union S t a t io n B u ild in g , Chicago, I llin o is , Chicago, ear S i r ; At your request I have hcen working w ith the S a ilro a d Engineering and Shop Committee appointed by the General M anagers' A s s o c ia tio n to con s id e r problems a r i s in g under the new I l l i n o i s O ccu p a tio n al D is e a s e s A c t , This committee has issued b u lle tin s designed to minimize the dangers of s i l i c o s i s and n s b e s to s is and i s now p rep arin g b u l l e t i n s on lea d p o iso n in g and o th er o ccu p a tio n a l d ise a se s w hich may occur in the r a ilr o a d in d u s tr y , A very r e a l problem a r is e s because many r a ilr o a d men s t i l l d ism iss the s u b je c t as b ein g g r e a tly exaggerated and an alm ost imaginary danger. A t f i r s t , se v e ra l members of the committee f e l t much the same way -- th e re had n ever been an o ccu p a tio n a l d is e a s e on t h e ir road - so what was the danger danger. The danger r e s u lts la r g e ly from the e d u ca tio n a l program of the S ta te Department o f L ab or, Thousands o f pamphlets have been d istrib u te d d escrib in g in d e t a il the symptoms o f v ario u s o ccu p a tio n a l d ise a se s and from what typ es o f work th e y n a y r e s u l t , TJie pamphlet on 3 i l i c o s i s , fo r exam ple, l i s t s among those s u b je c t to i t s h azard s s a n d b la s te r s , p o lis h e r s , m etal g rin d e rs and c o a l m in e rs. Among the symptoms a re l i s t e d sh o rtn ess o f b r e a th , i n a b i l i t y to do as much work as b e fo r e and p r a c t i c a l l y a l l other s ig n s o f t u b e r c u lo s is . In the f u t u r e , every man who breaks down and many who a re l a i d o f f w il l be a b le to fin d or im agine many of the symptoms of sane d is e a s e and claim s w i l l r e s u l t . In a d d itio n to these p o ssib ly im aginary cla im s, the railro a d s are s u b je c t to r e a l c la im s . One I l l i n o i s r a ilr o a d has found e ig h t c a se s o f load p o iso n in g in the l a s t two y e a rs among p a in te r s and men working on b r a s s e s . S e v e ra l r a ilr o a d s have found a c t iv e s i l i c o s i s c a se s among sa n d b la ste rs and in m etals reclam atio n w ork. That s im ila r d ise a se s have not boon found on other r a ilr o a d s may be due to the f a c t th ey were n o t r e c o g n iz e d . While c la im s nay be made in th e fu tu r e f o r im aginary d is e a s e s , the danger now f a c in g the r a ilr o a d s i s c e r t a i n ly n o t im a g in ary . An a p p lic a t io n o f the s a fe t y p r in c ip le s on t h i s s u b je c t , recommended in th e B u lle t in s issu e d by the E n g in e e rin g and ^hop Com m ittee, w i l l p reven t many r e a l ca se s o f o ccu p a tio n a l d is e a s e s and w i l l be h e lp fu l w ith the in d u s t r ia l C o m is s io n when im aginary claim s are made. Yours tr u ly , (Signed) J . W, F r e e ls