W. H. Smith to A. S. Johnson on the Carolina Asbestos Company Mill, with a State Dust Survey (1950)

Insurance company papers on the Carolina Asbestos Company's asbestos textile mill at Davidson, North Carolina (6 pages). In a three-page memo of November 28, 1950, W. H. Smith, district engineering manager at Charlotte, reported to A. S. Johnson in Boston on a November 14 visit with Thomas R. Self: exhausts on the cards were "very inefficient," the weaving section had "no exhaust at all," and the plant had no records of workers' exposure. Six asbestosis claims had been filed, two settled with awards of $6,000 each, and Smith concluded, "In my opinion this is not a desirable risk." Attached are the North Carolina State Board of Health dust survey of August 23, 1950, with all eight samples above the 5 million particles per cubic foot limit (5.6 to 24.1), and an October 31, 1950, memo to Self asking that the dust be brought "somewhere near standard."

What it shows

Smith wrote that before "our company made a complete evaluation of the situation in 1943 or 1944, there were no controls at all in the plant that were satisfactory," and that many workers had 10 to more than 20 years of exposure. The mill had been bought back that year from Union Asbestos & Rubber Company. The papers show an insurance carrier's engineers measuring asbestos dust, counting claims, and doubting that management would "have the hazard under control within the next year."

In Johns-Manville's index

Johns-Manville's legal department indexed the Motley 1,000 in 1984. Its index describes this document as follows:

North Carolina State Board of Health industrial hygiene survey of Carolina Asbestos Company, Davidson, North Carolina, performed on 8/23/50. The plant surveyed was an asbestos textile mill. All samples taken were above the accepted TLV of 5 mppcf, ranging from 5.6 mppcf to 24.1 mppcf. Copies of the survey were sent to the N.C. Industrial Commission, N.C. Dept. of Labor, and N.C. Comp. Rating & Insp. Bur. 1-page memo (much of it illegible) from an industrial hygienist, dated 10/31/50, regarding the above-referenced industrial hygiene survey. The author states that "I assume, since I have never seen such a document before, that this represents a new procedure on their part. It would seem to be a useful one. As you can readily see, this risk needs a little work done to make their asbestos dust concentration come somewhere near standard. Please see that this is done." W.H. Smith (District Engineering Manager, American Mutual, Charlotte) memo to A.S. Johnson (Engineering, American Mutual, Boston), 11/28/50, entitled "Carolina Asbestos Company, Davidson, N.C." Smith states that several months ago he requested assistance from the Division Office in making a survey of the occupational disease situation of the "above-captioned risk" and that on November 14, he and Thomas R. Self (Southern Division Engineering Manager, American Mutual) made the survey. Smith discusses the survey he and Self performed and the survey that the North Carolina State Board of Health performed. Smith and Self note many hazardous conditions. Smith states that plant executives were notified of the hazards and asked when they would improve the conditions. Plant personnel stated that there were a number of other things that needed correction at this time and that there was no definite plan to improve the conditions. When asked what records existed on the employees and their exposure to the asbestos hazard, plant personnel responded that they did not have any records, but that Union Asbestos and Rubber Co. had taken them. However, Smith notes that he found that of the 180 employees in the plant, 12 have over 20 years exposure, 3 have over 10 years exposure, and 9 have between 5 and 9 years exposure. Smith notes that "prior to the time our company made a complete evaluation of the situation in 1943 or 1944, there were no controls at all in the plant that were satisfactory." At this time the Claims Department has received six asbestosis claims and to date two of these have been settled. These two cases were heard by the Commission and awards were made of $6,000 each. A third case is awaiting further hearing, and the last three cases have not yet been brought up before the Commission. Smith then mentions that each of the claimants' exposure periods ranged from 4 years to 27 years. Smith concludes that "in my opinion this is not a desirable risk, and I do not believe the management will have the hazard under control within the next year." Carolina Asbestos Company purchased the plant in Davidson, N.C. a year ago from Union Asbestos & Rubber Company.

Duplicate of Motley Document #791.

About this copy

These are documents 791 and 878 of the Motley 1,000, from the set the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust's records facility certified as true copies, pages CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-004156 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-004161.