The Economics of Industrial Health

Our plain-English summary of The Economics of Industrial Health, by A.R. Fisher (1955).

The study

• Author: A.R. Fisher
• Published: Industrial Hygiene Foundation of American Transactions, Volume 29. November 1955
• Type of article: Conference paper
• Our copy: from Johns-Manville's own medical library. The article is still under copyright, so we describe it here rather than post it.

In plain English

This item is not a research study. It is the text of a speech by A. R. Fisher, president of Johns-Manville Corporation and a trustee of the Industrial Hygiene Foundation, published in the Foundation's 1955 transactions. It reported no original data on asbestos, asbestos exposure or any asbestos-related disease. The author argued that cooperation between private industry and government, rather than government-run health care like Britain's, had improved the nation's health. The author cited a life expectancy for the industrial population of 46 years in 1909 and nearly 70 years in 1954. The author also said that only 10 per cent of about half a billion man-days lost to industry each year were due to occupational causes. No sources for these figures appear in the text. The author stated that Johns-Manville set up a clinic with a part-time doctor at its asbestos mine in Quebec in 1895. The author described the company's health program and said the Industrial Hygiene Foundation was investigating one of the company's newer products, which was not named. The author concluded that the remaining health problems could be solved within free enterprise.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Speech or opinion essay by a company president; not a research study. No methods or original data.
• Who was studied: No study population. The speaker was the president of Johns-Manville Corporation, and the text was published in 1955.
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. The speech mentions a Johns-Manville clinic at its asbestos mine in Quebec and company-sponsored research on raw materials and products. It names no fiber types or doses.
• Main results:
  • The author stated that life expectancy of the industrial population was 46 years in 1909 and nearly 70 years in 1954, an increase of 24 years. No source is given.
  • The author said that, of about half a billion man-days reportedly lost to industry each year, only 10 per cent were due to occupational causes.
  • The author stated that company records showed Johns-Manville set up a clinic with a part-time doctor at its asbestos mine in Quebec as long ago as 1895.
  • The author said the company's program included a physical examination at hiring, periodic examinations, control of occupational hazards, insurance and medical, industrial hygiene and safety staff.
  • The author said the Industrial Hygiene Foundation was then investigating the properties of one of the company's newer products. The product is not named.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that remaining health problems could be solved through free and enlightened enterprise, with cooperation of management, labor and government.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Johns-Manville, Industrial Hygiene, Asbestos Exposure, Life Expectancy.

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