Dr. Kenneth W. Smith and C. L. Sheckler at the J-M Industrial Relations Managers' Meeting (1963)

Twenty pages of talks given at J-M's Industrial Relations Managers' Meeting at Edgewater Park, Mississippi, April 29 to May 3, 1963, on the industrial health program (Dr. Kenneth W. Smith, medical director) and the industrial hygiene program (C. L. Sheckler). Smith told the managers that "today we are experiencing an increasing number of unfortunate occupational disease cases because of the dirty working conditions of several years ago." Sheckler said that "many of us have accustomed ourselves to working in plant areas where substandard housekeeping, poorly engineered and maintained mechanical exhaust systems, and generally low grade health standards exist."

What it shows

Sheckler gave the purposes of plant dust surveys: records "for presentation to local, state or federal governmental agencies when required, as well as bona fide records for litigation purposes including Workmen's Compensation, common-law third party, or possibly customer liability claims." He warned that unions were pressing for "review of our J-M dust counts or other Industrial Hygiene records," and that poor conditions lead to "incurable and often fatal occupational diseases." Smith urged yearly exams for all workers, partly because different exam schedules would "designate certain ones as hazardous" and could cause men to move away from those jobs, and he described roofing plants switching to river sand that was over 90% silica as a cost saving. He also reminded managers that a worker granted disability retirement had to be alive on the first of the following month or his widow lost the company's contributions. The talks show J-M's health officials telling plant managers in 1963 that past dust conditions were causing disease, and that the company's dust records were also meant for its defense.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

In minutes from an Industrial Relations Managers meeting held 4/29/63 through 5/3/63, Dr. Smith stated "today we are experiencing an increasing number of unfortunate occupational disease cases because of the dirty working conditions of several years ago." Sheckler stated that, "over a period of time, many of us have accustomed ourselves to working in plant areas where substandard house keeping, poorly engineered and maintained mechanical exhaust systems, and general low grade health standards exists."

Sheckler also stated that a major reason for industrial hygiene surveys is to have documented evidence for presentation to governmental agencies when required, as well as for litigation purposes.