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Employe Illness InvestigatedWASHINGTON, D.C. -Teamster General President Frank E, Fitzsimmons and the International Union’s Department of Safety and Health have taken action to investigate an unexplained illness affecting Teamster Local 413 members in'a Columbus, Ohio, electronics plant.Fitzsimmons took the action when on four separate occasions large numbers of employees at the plant became ill, with symptoms of severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, tremors, numbness m the fingers and face, diarrhea and palpitations.The International Union, under Fitzsimmons’ direction, enlisted the services of one of the nation’s leading experts on industrial medicine to investigate the unexplained illness of Teamster members at the Robert Shaw Controls Company. The Teamsters represent the company's 550 production workers.Dr. Samuel Epstein of theUniversity of Illinois School of Public Health and several Teamster representatives spent three days reviewing the chemicals used in the plant, walking through the areas where the illnesses oecured and interviewing affected workers.A report from Dr. Epstein is expected momentarilyAfter the first outbreak, federal, state and private health teams were brought m to try to pinpoint the cause. A careful inspection disclosed a propane gas leak above one of the ceiling panels. The leak was corrected, and the problem seemed to have been solved. However, when the illnesses occurred several more times after those repairs, the plant was closed while the health teams examined the chemical processes for a possible answer Days of testing produced no solution, and the plant was reopened on a voluntary basis.The local union has been on lop of the situation since itbegan. Local 413 representatives have met repeatedly with company personnel and the health teams to make sure everything possible was being done to protect both the health and the job security of its members at the plant In addition, a representative of the IBT Safety and Health Department visited the plant.Safely representatives of the Teamsters and Steelworkers are keeping each other posted on each new development in an effort to solve these problems as quickly as possible.Plumbing Problems9
Newspaper Details
Coshocton Tribune
Coshocton, Ohio, US
Sun, Nov 28, 1976
Page 21
Full Page
Clipped by
Nick P.
USA 27 Mar 2022
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