C. L. Sheckler to D. B. Wingerter on Wording Warning Labels for Industrial Insulations Products (1969)

A one-page memo of December 18, 1969, from C. L. Sheckler of Johns-Manville's headquarters to D. B. Wingerter at Manville on the proposed warning labels A, B and C for Industrial Insulations Division products, including Marinite. The existing and proposed labels read "if dust is created when this product is handled," and Sheckler wrote that there was "a real question in my mind as to precisely what we mean by 'handled'." He proposed "machined, installed, or dismantled" instead, and that the words "avoid breathing the dust" go into all three labels.

What it shows

Sheckler reports that he and R. R. Standel, J-M's attorney, had "much discussion in conjunction with current litigation related to definitions of hazards during installation of products as compared with no existing hazard resulting from the end use of the product." Lawsuits were already shaping how J-M worded its warnings, and the change he proposed named installation and tear-out work, where insulators and other tradesmen met the dust. Standel had rejected a shorter label two days earlier (Standel to Wingerter, December 16, 1969).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Memorandum from C.L. Sheckler to D.B. Wingerter dated 12/18/69. The existing label language read "if dust is created when this product is handled." Sheckler suggested that the term "handled" might be obscure and the words "machined, installed or dismantled" would be better. Sheckler advocated: "If dust is created when this product is machined, installed or dismantled, avoid breathing dust and use proper protection." Sheckler noted that he discussed the need to label with R.R. Standel.

Related documents

• R. R. Standel Jr. to D. B. Wingerter Rejecting the Short-Form Marinite Caution Label (1969)