Dr. T. R. Grainger to J. E. Morrison on Areas Closed to "B - No Dust" Workers (1953)

A one-page memorandum of February 27, 1953, from Dr. T. R. Grainger at the company hospital to J. E. Morrison, with copies to C. M. McGaw and Dr. Kenneth W. Smith, confirming a recent industrial hygiene meeting. It recommends that no "B - No Dust" personnel be employed in areas considered dusty according to the last dust count survey: the entire rigid shingles department, receiving, the textile cards, looms and mixing rooms, the butting and slitting saws in pipe covering, paper department jobs that require dumping dry raw products, and the paint mixer in waterproofing.

What it shows

The list shows that by early 1953 workers at the plant were being graded for dust, with a "B - No Dust" group kept out of named dusty jobs. It also shows which jobs the company's own dust counts identified as dusty. The memo does not say how many workers were in the group or whether they were told why.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Dr. T.R. Grainger (Asbestos) in a memorandum to J.E. Morrison, 2/27/53, lists the areas, agreed upon at a recent Industrial Hygiene meeting, where "B-No Dust" personnel are not to be employed. The listed areas are considered to be dusty areas according to the last dust count survey.