Johns-Manville Health, Safety and Environment Catalog of Programs (1980–81)

A 32-page catalog of the training films, slide shows, booklets, posters and bulletins that Johns-Manville's Health, Safety and Environment Department offered its plants and managers in 1980 and 1981. It opens with a statement by John A. McKinney, J-M's chairman, that "no Johns-Manville employee will ever be asked or allowed to risk his or her health or safety in the pursuit of any production or financial goal of the corporation." The catalog lists programs by subject, beginning with asbestos, then diatomaceous earth, fibrous glass, hearing, industrial hygiene, PVC, respirators, silica and smoking, followed by an employee education program and an index.

What it shows

The asbestos section lists what J-M was giving its own workers and supervisors on the subject in 1980: "Before You Begin," a booklet for new employees in asbestos-using operations with a tear-off section that "goes into permanent records"; "What You Should Know About Asbestos and Health," in which the "Role of smoking in health risks is emphasized"; posters and pocket leaflets on "Handling Asbestos Fiber"; "The Asbestos Issue: A Matter of Principle," reprinted from the 1978 annual report; and the special asbestos issue of the employee magazine, J-M Today. It also offered a reprint concluding that asbestos-cement pipe "does not pose a health hazard."