J-M Manville Factory Proposal to Replace Dust Control at the Shingle and Transite Forming Machines (1953)

A three-page appropriation request of November 20, 1953, from the Industrial Engineering Department of J-M's factory at Manville, New Jersey, to replace the dust collectors at the asbestos-cement shingle and corrugated Transite forming machines. The collectors dated from 1930 and 1938, production had roughly tripled since, and "the dust problem is now beyond the capacity of the system." Dust around the machines was above the 5 million particles per cubic foot allowed by the Travelers Insurance Company's industrial hygiene department, with 5% to 15% free silica, and the report called the mix of "asbestos fibre, silica, cement, slate and limestone" a "serious exposure."

What it shows

The project, estimated at $37,450, was to protect the 75 men who ran the machines around the clock and to answer "continuous complaints as to dust." The report also put a price on doing nothing: a disability from this exposure was compensable at about $13,500 for total disability under New Jersey's workers' compensation law, "not including litigation and medical examination costs," and early approval was urged "to avoid costly consequences of continuing with inadequate equipment."

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

On 11/20/53, the Industrial Engineering Department (Manville) submitted a proposal to replace the dust collection system at the forming machines because of high exposures to asbestos fiber, silica, cement, slate, and limestone. The high dust counts are detailed in C.H. Grote's letter of 1/14/53, to A.C. Smith. As a benefit of this new system, it is stressed that compliance will be achieved with the dust concentration limits for these types of exposure as specified by the Industrial Hygiene Department of Travelers Insurance Company. A disability resulting from this type of exposure is compensable at $13,500 for total disability, not including litigation and medical examination costs.